Two Extra Eyes
by Prince Izzy X
Summary: [Slash: Sam x Lars] Lars takes a great gift for granted: his sight. When he has to wear glasses to heal his eyes, he is shunned and deserted by his cronies. Seeing him all alone, Sam decides to show him that wearing glasses isn’t so bad after all.
1. Uncle Manuel

Disclaimer: Nothing that is copyrighted belongs to me. Only myself and my fan characters. This goes for the whole story. And if by some weird twist of fate, this fic breaks any of this site's childish and unfair rules, **_please do the courteous thing and tell me in a review what I did wrong!_** If it doesn't ruin the artistic quality of the fic, I'll fix it **_ASAP!_** I'm usually on all day. **_At least give me a chance to fix the problem before reporting me!_**

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Pre-story Conversation

The scene opened in the studio. A desk and couch were at the left corner while, opposite from them, a band played a jazzy rendition of the Rocket Power theme song. They were all in front of a backdrop that had Ocean Shores pictured on it. The crowd roared and applauded as Izzy, Iggy, and I ran out on stage. The band stopped playing as we skidded to a stop in the center of the stage and got into our standard poses. Izzy had his arms crossed and a sneer on his face while Iggy and I had grins on our faces. The crowd soon quieted down, allowing us to talk.

"Hey everybody!" I shouted, waving at the crowd. The audience cheered at me.

"Hi folks!" Iggy added, jumping up and down before giving a wink and a peace sign. The girls in the crowd went nuts at his cute antics.

"Hmph! How's it going?" Izzy said in his oh-so-charming way.

Needless to say, nobody said or did anything. Crickets were heard chirping for a moment or two before someone tossed a can of soda (that was still full) at him. It crashed into his head, causing a lump to form as it fell into his hand. He held his lump with the other hand as he growled at the crowd.

"Why you…!.!.!"

"Chill bro!" Iggy interrupted. "Somebody just wanted to give ya a gift!"

"Right… A gift…" An unsure voice was heard from the crowd. Iggy, not hearing the comment, grinned at his brother.

"Drink up!"

"Grrrrr… Fine." Izzy grumbled, preparing to open the can. "But whoever tossed it shoulda at least had the decency to have a stage hand give it to me or something…"

He lifted the tab…

°Phhhhhhhhhhhhhiiiiiissssssssssshhhhhhhhhh!.!.!°

The audience howled with laughter as a geyser of soda splashed all over him! Sticky and dripping coke, he snarled, pulled out his mallet, and started to stomp towards the crowd with it held up above his head. I sighed as I pulled out my own mallet and grabbed a battlechip.

"Wave battlechip in! Download!"

As soon as I inserted the chip into my mallet, a blue aura surrounded it. Just was Izzy was getting ready to attack, I slammed my weapon into the floor. When it touched the ground, a river's worth of water came gushing out towards the boy in the form of a grand wave! Izzy was about to jump towards the crowd when he saw the shadow of the incoming attack. He slowly turned around and felt his eyes go wide in fear at the sight of it. He then put on an irritated look.

"Crap…" He said, taking a deep breath.

°SPLASH!.!.!°

He was completely and totally submerged by the attack. The audience was unharmed of course, thanks to a special glass wall that rose up out of the floor at the last second. The water soon drained out of the studio, revealing the irate teen. His hair was covering his eyes while the rest of him was now dripping water. He spat out a stream (and curiously a fish or two) before glowering at me. I stood completely unnerved.

"Chill, Izzy. We gotta introduce the fic!"

Izzy sighed as he was handed a towel. "Well, at least I'm not sticky anymore…" He groaned, proceeding to dry himself off.

"Atta boy!" I complimented, turning to the crowd. "Anyway, this story was sorta inspired by the same request Silent Whisper gave me awhile back."

"Aw God no!"

"Alright!" Iggy cheered, punching the air. "It's another Sam/Lars fic!"

The crowd cheered at that.

"Have mercy boss!" Izzy begged, kneeling in front of me. "Don't do it! Don't pair _them_ up! …Again."

"Sorry, partner." I said, shrugging. "You know that when I get a good idea, especially one for a slash fic, I gotta go through with it no matter what."

"But you haven't even finished Rocket Heroes yet!"

"Don't remind me…" I sighed. "Trust me, I wanna get back to work on that fic and finish it. But I gotta do this one first before I can continue it."

"Don't ya know what happens whenever you write a fic with that pairing!.?.!"

"Uhhh… Yeah." I answered, blinking. "Otto/Twister winds up being the secondary pairing. What about it?"

He slapped his head. "Not _that_, ya idiot! Every time you pair up Four Eyes and Lars, _I_ suffer at the end!"

"Hey!" Iggy protested. "Whaddya doing calling Sammy-Sam that!.?"

"I'll call him whatever I want, ya twerp!" Izzy retorted, turning away with his nose held high.

Iggy growled at his brother and took out his plastic, toy-like mallet before turning to me. "Can I?"

I shrugged. "Knock yourself out."

The boy grinned as he turned towards his older sibling and took out a battlechip.

"Bubbler battlechip in! Download!"

Once he put the chip inside his hammer, it glowed with a bluish aura and transformed into what seemed like a bubble gun of sorts. Iggy targeted Izzy and pulled the trigger. A blue beam shot out of the nozzle and rocketed towards the older boy. Izzy didn't even see it coming until it was too late. He was hit by the beam and knocked into the wall. The audience shouted their approval as the taller brunet, spitting out bubbles all the while, struggled to stand. He glared at Iggy coldly when he saw the younger one's mallet transform back to normal.

"That does it! You're gonna pay!"

He grabbed his weapon and ran head on towards Iggy, who dashed towards him as well. Both brothers charged at each other with their hammers drawn back. When then collided, a dust cloud enveloped them as sounds of fighting were heard. Blushing in embarrassment, I sighed and turned to the camera.

"They'll be at it all day, ladies and germs. Anyway, this fic will center around Lars as he takes one of our greatest gifts for granted; his sight. He will learn a valuable lesson, which is 'Never judge a book by its cover.' …At least, I _think_ that's the lesson…" I shook my head. "He'll learn this lesson the hard way when he finds himself alienated from his friends. All alone in the world, he will depend on the most unexpected person for solace. Can they find happiness in each other? Read on to find out!"

The crowd cheered and applauded as the camera whited out.

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Two Extra Eyes

Chapter One

Uncle Manuel

"Ok, mom! We're gonna go out now!" Twister Rodriguez called to his mother as the two boys prepared to leave.

"Alright, Mauricio!" Sandy, his mother, replied from the kitchen. "Don't stay out too long you two!"

"Oh don't worry, we won't!" Otto Rocket said, winking mischievously at the other boy, who snickered. Sandy stuck her head out from the kitchen and gave them a wary look.

"Can't you two hold it for at least a couple more days?"

"Awwwwwww!.!.!" Otto moaned.

"_Moooooooom_" Twister whined. His mother rolled her eyes exasperatedly at their antics.

"Oh very well. Just promise me you'll at least use protection."

The boys grinned at her statement of permission.

"No prob, Mrs. Rodriguez!" The shorter of the two shouted, giving her a thumbs-up.

"Thanks mom!" The taller added, running up to his mom and hugging her. She returned the embrace before directing him towards his boyfriend.

"Now run along, you two. And be back no later than six, Mauricio!"

"Got it, mom!" Twister complied as he ran out of the house, giggling all the while.

"Don't worry, Mrs. Rodriguez! I'll take _good_ care of him!" Otto reassured, also giggling as he ran after his lover.

She smiled and waved after her future son-in-law. When the door was closed, she went back to cooking shaking her head and chuckling all the while.

As the delicious aroma of pork chops and vegetables wafted throughout the house, one person growled in complete and total irritation.

"_Don't worry, Mrs. Rodriguez! I'll take **good** care of him!_" The boy imitated Otto's voice and scoffed. "Stupid little twerp."

This boy was none other than Lars Rodriguez, one of the most feared teenagers in the town of Ocean Shores, California. He was nearly six feet tall and wore his trademark purple shirt with the red star, green shorts, gray hat, and red converse sneakers. He crossed his arms and grunted indignantly as he went over the conversation that just transpired in the house's front hall with disgust and distaste.

He pretty much hated his brother and his best bro. That hatred multiplied five-fold when he discovered them making out one day on Twister's bed with only their shorts on. It wasn't that he was against the redheads' sexuality or anything; he was gay himself. He just despised them. He wasn't sure what it was he hated the most. Was it the fact that his mother had forbade him from making fun of them ever since they confessed their relationship many months ago? Was it the fact that his rival was over _every, single_ day? Was it the fact that the two boys almost always sat on the couch and talked about nothing _while_ occasionally stealing a kiss? He hated them extra for _that_ little offense.

It usually happened while he was sitting in the same room doing homework or plotting some kind of prank. It was the sound of their lips meeting that aggravated him to no end. All that squishing, sloshing, mashing, and let's not forget the moaning and pillow talk! It was enough to drive the brunet mad! He was always left with a massive headache by the time Otto left (but not before Twister serenaded him, MUCH to Lars' displeasure!). He had an even worse headache during those few times that the one in the headband slept over there. He even lost _sleep_ on those nights.

Whatever the reason, he couldn't stand those two. Not in the very least. There have been times when he sorely wanted them to break up or, even better, _beat_ them both up until they stop being so lovey-dovey! But alas, neither one of those things were going to happen any time soon. For one, their love was simply too strong. You'd have to try something really, _really_ drastic to break _that_ up. Lars just simply wasn't willing to plan something like that just for peace of mind. After all, he'd be out the door in two years. He could survive til then. …Right?

Second, beating them up wasn't an option. Ever since they got together, Otto has been considered a member of the family. That means that he got all the perks of being a Rodriguez, including flan at dinner, being invited to parties and family reunions, and let's not forget immunity from Lars. If he tried anything, they would run to Sandy, who would scold the brunet til the wee hours of the morning. He shuddered at _that_ thought. He's hardly ever in the mood to hear one of his mother's boring and mind numbing lectures nowadays, especially because of all the extra work he's had to do as a junior.

With a final grunt and a sneer, he decided to drop the subject and concentrate on watching TV. He sighed and sat there in peace. There was nothing more soothing than watching the troubles of teens and young adults that _weren't_ you. About twenty or so minutes passed before he heard a shocked gasp.

"Lars!" The brunet's mother shouted. "Don't sit so close to the TV! You'll hurt your eyes!"

"Aw mom! I'm fine!" The sixteen year-old protested, turning away from his program, Real World: Alaska, to face his mother. He was currently sitting on the floor not even a foot away from the TV. "I don't wanna miss this part!"

"Now Lars! Don't you know what happens when you sit in front of the TV?.! You'll go blind, just like your Uncle Manuel!"

"But mom—"

The glare his mother sent him stopped him dead in his tracks. Gritting his teeth and growling, he reluctantly sat on the couch. He crossed his arms and waited for Sandy to leave before moving right back to his original position just in time to witness a great make out scene between two guys onscreen.

The next day…

"Tchahahahahahaha!.!.!" Lars laughed teasingly after making the winning shot in the latest hockey match between his team, the Lasers, and his rival's, the Rockets. "I knew me and my boys were gonna beat ya dorks!"

"You just got lucky, Lars!" Twister retorted.

"It ain't luck, shrimp!"

"It's skill, which _you_ don't have!" Pi supplied, giving a nasally laugh. Sputz gave a hard-to-understand agreement and joined in the laughing. Animal, meanwhile, just stood there, watching the scene unfold.

"Yeah right! Just ya wait til next time!" Otto defended.

"Ha! Not with that four eyed geek on your team!" Lars countered.

"What'd you say!.?" Reggie demanded. She was helping up Sam, who had tripped as a result of trying to block the brunet's shot. Lars smirked.

"Ya heard me." He said smugly. The girl shook her fists and made to attack.

"Why you—!.!.!"

"It's ok, Reg." Sam stopped her. Reggie faced him with an eyebrow raised.

"You sure, Sammy?"

"Yeah…" Sam replied, nodding as he gave a wistful sigh at the evil brunet, who was busy telling off Otto and Twister. The regal haired girl rolled her eyes. She knew how her best friend can get when it came to the guy he loved. She crossed her arms as she watched the scene.

"Rematch tomorrow, Lars!" Otto demanded. "Same time, same place!"

"Fine, Rocket Dork!" The leader of the opposing team said, his smirk becoming colder. "Just make sure ya get Four Eyes some contacts! Pahahahahahaha!.!.!"

He and the Lasers howled with laughter as they skated away. Otto and Twister glared at them before skating up to Sam to see if he was alright.

"I'm fine guys, really!" He said, waving them away. "You all know how Lars gets." He sighed again.

"Of all the guys Squid coulda fallen for, he falls for _him_!" Otto said, shaking his head.

"Squid, there's no way Lars is gonna wanna get with you!" Twister added. "I mean, he busts ya for your glasses!"

"Yeah, Sammy." Reggie agreed. "He's just too much of a jerk for ya. He'll probably ignore you and push you to the curb if you ever get together."

"Aw, come on guys." The blond started, waving a dismissive hand. "I know he's like that on the outside, but ya never know. He's probably real soft on the inside."

Silence.

"Pfffffft!.!.! HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!.!.!" Otto and Twister doubled over in laughter at that one. Reggie glowered at them.

The trio has known of the bespectacled boy's crush on the one in the gray hat for quite some time. In fact, he divulged his feelings to them the same exact day that Otto and Twister got together. The two redheads told him time and time again that it wouldn't work out. Lars was just too tough for him. But he remained vigilant in his quest for the boy of his dreams. So time and time again, he retorted saying that under all that wickedness, there was a kind, loving person inside. Of course, they laughed at the thought of a kindhearted Lars.

Like them, Reggie knew it was _extremely_ unlikely, but as Sam's best friend, she had to stand behind him. Still, she couldn't help but stifle a chuckle at the idea of the most evil boy in Ocean Shores being together with the most innocent boy (next to Twister anyway). Soon the chuckle turned into uncontrollable laughter as she held her sides. The blond narrowed his eyes at all three of them as they carried on for a bit before quieting down.

"Let's just go to the Shack…" He said through gritted teeth.


	2. Cinema Craziness

Two Extra Eyes

Chapter Two

Cinema Craziness

Later that day, the sun was beginning to set, bathing the sky in a beautiful aura of oranges, blues, and purples. Stars began to appear in the sky as it gradually darkened more and more each second. As the world began to surrender to the darkness, Lars was lounging in his room. He was currently lying on his bed, reading a comic book. He was going to go to the movies with his subordinates later, so he was binding his time until he had to get going. He didn't have his lamp on and his window shutters were closed, despite the oncoming evening. He chuckled as he turned the page.

"That Jug Head cracks me up every time! Ahahahahahaha!.!.!"

Soon, the door opened and in walked Sandy, who was carrying a clothes basket.

"Lars, I need your clothes for the—" She put the basket down and gasped. "LARS!.!.!"

"Oh what now?" The brunet mumbled to himself. He closed the comic and turned to Sandy with an innocent look on his face. "Yes…?"

"What do you think you're doing!.?.!" She demanded, not even buying the act. The boy blinked at her curiously.

"I was just sitting here reading a comic book. Is that suddenly against the rules in this house?"

She glared at him. "Don't get smart. You know exactly what you've been doing! You can't read in dim light! You'll go blind like Uncle Manuel!"

He didn't even argue this time, not that it would've helped anyway. Returning the glare, he put the comic away, put his dirty clothes into the basket his mother had and left for the movie theater without a single word.

"Why couldn't Uncle Manuel have gone deaf instead of blind?" He grumbled to himself as he walked down the hill. "That way, she wouldn't have to nag all the time."

Soon, he arrived at the Ortega Theater, where he found his cronies standing in the back of the line. After greeting him, they started talking about usual guy stuff. You know; cars, sports, the occasional mention of music, and of course girls. Needless to say, whenever the last topic came up, the leader of the crew would look around in an attempt to stave off boredom. He would keep one eye on the conversation while checking out any of the other guys in the line. Of course, he paid attention to the chat at all times lest he be caught by the other Lasers. The trio of thugs knew of his preference and was cool with it (They better have been if they didn't want to suffer his wrath!), but they always voiced their protest whenever he was caught looking. So he catered to the big babies, but often he couldn't help but observe.

There were some good-looking boys there. Because of the heat, a lot of them were wearing white tank tops in which their nipples were visible through the fabric and jean shorts that barely stayed on their waists, giving Lars an eyeful. Some had hats on while others were wearing headbands. And a few were even wearing goggles on their heads! They were his age or a little older judging by their looks. Unfortunately for him, almost all of them had a girl hanging from their arms and those that didn't were looking at the girls wistfully. He gave a disgruntled noise as he turned back to his henchmen and rejoined the conversation.

Soon, they got their tickets (which were for _Mr. and Mrs. Smith_) and made their way inside. Despite living in a hot place like Ocean Shores for sixteen years, the cool lick of an air conditioner was always like heaven to the quartet. As they waited in another line to get snacks, they closed their eyes, feeling the sweet pleasure soothe their weary spirits, Lars' especially. When the brunet finally got used to the cool atmosphere, he turned his head to the left and found himself staring at the backside of some guy. Making sure the others weren't paying attention, he decided to let his eyes linger a bit.

The boy wasn't bad-looking at all. In fact, he was kinda cute. He had sandy blond hair which went down the back of his head until it touched his shoulders. He seemed to have a medium tan almost like the one Twister had before his skin had darkened. He looked to have a mixture between a surfer and skater's build which scored more points for Lars. He was about half a foot shorter than the brunet. He was wearing a short sleeved yellow-orange shirt and a pair of blue shorts. Lars gaped at the boy's slender legs before peering upwards to look at his sweet can. Drool began to form as he imagined what it'd feel like to grab it.

"Hey, Lars?" Pi's voice was heard. The brunet just mumbled something incoherent. The rest of the group blinked. "Yo, Lars!"

"Hmmm-mmmm…?" He said, imitating Sputz. A small puddle began to form at his feet.

"Hey! Why are ya looking at Squid!.?.!" The round member of the group shouted, shaking him. Lars' eyes went wide when he heard that name.

"_Squid!.?.!_ I was looking at _Squid_!.?" He shouted, looking at his crew with a shocked look. They nodded and pointed at the boy in question. Lars gulped as he turned.

Indeed he was facing Sam, who was standing with Otto, Twister, and Reggie in the line next to theirs. The blond was blushing and looking away from the brunet, who was sweating, despite the air conditioning. He glared at the two redheads, who were smirking at him, but at the same time, had a look of surprise as well. Was Sam actually on to something? Lars then blinked when he felt the stares of the Lasers and everybody else on him. He stuttered to think of someway out of this.

"Ha!" He finally crossed his arms. "I can't believe ya bunch of kooks would think I'd be looking at Four Eyes here!"

Sam turned to him with a hurt look. The brunet paid no attention though. Noticing his friend's expression, Otto took action.

"Oh yeah? Then just _who_ were you looking at?" He challenged.

Lars fixed him with a glower but still kept his tough demeanor.

"Don't make me laugh, Rocket Dork! I was looking at her!"

Reggie blinked in surprise at that. She shifted her attention to Sam, whose mouth was agape. It looked as if he felt betrayed. Soon his expression turned to one of rage and fury. Gulping, she quickly turned back to the situation at hand.

"Me?.! You were looking at _me_!.?.!"

The whole place stood in silence for a few moments.

"PFFFFT!.!.! HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!.!.!" Everyone laughed, holding their sides as they pointed at her. Reggie put on a look that was a mix of irritation and boredom, as if she was expecting that reaction. Her eyebrow twitched in annoyance. Her fists shook at her sides as she struggled not to attack the whole lot of them.

Lars wiped away a tear as he stifled some chuckles. "You _must_ be joking! I was looking at _her_!"

He pointed at a cardboard cutout of Angelina Jolie that was advertising the movie he and the Lasers were about to watch. Reggie wiped her sweaty face as Sam breathed a sigh of relief. Twister smirked as he decided to make a move in this situation.

"But Lars, the cutout's all the way over there." He pointed at the same ad, which was to the left of where his brother was standing. "Squid was standing right _here_." He pointed to where Sam's been standing all this time, which was a good couple of feet from where Lars could've possibly seen the cutout. Lars mentally cursed the redhead as tried to come up with something.

"Ummm… Uhhh…"

"Unless ya got P.S.P—"

"That's _E_.S.P." Reggie corrected, holding her forehead with an exasperated sigh. Rolling his eyes, Twister continued.

"—There's no way you coulda been looking over there when you were clearly facing him!"

"Hey that's right!" Otto agreed, giving his rival a mischievous look. "So whaddya have to say?" Lars would've shaken a fist at him if he wasn't giving his sibling a confused look.

"Since when were _you_ smart?" He shook his head before turning to his cohorts. "Run away!.!.!"

With that, he grabbed all three of them (how he did that is beyond me) and dashed over to where his movie was playing. As they got inside, Lars, inwardly praying that those twerps weren't going to see the same movie they were, let go of the others and started walking down. The trio, scratching their heads at what had just transpired, followed him as he walked down to the very first row of the room.

As they walked, they all raised their eyebrows when they saw their leader tripping and falling all over the place. Several times, he bumped into people that were trying to get into the upper rows. A couple of times, he actually crashed into them head-on, causing whatever snacks they had to go flying. By the time they reached the bottom row, all four of them were covered with nachos, popcorn, soda, and gummy bears as well as other assorted snacks. Despite all the space there was between the screen and the chairs, Lars still managed to collide with the chairs' armrests before finally falling into three of them. The others cringed at the sight.

"Ugh…" The one in the gray hat groaned. "Maybe Mom's right. I should be a little more careful with my eyes." He then thought about that for a few seconds. "…Nah!.!.!"

He pushed himself off the chairs and sat down next to Sputz, who reached over and picked some bite-sized pretzels off his boss's head. Lars growled at him in response as the place darkened and the movie started.

The next night…

'_Man, last night was crazy!_' Lars thought as he sat down on the couch and watched TV. '_I can't believe I ran into that stupid lamppost and then tripped on the curb after I left the movies! What's the deal!.?_'

He sighed as he grabbed the remote and flipped through a few channels. It was then that he thought back to before he and his cronies watched the movie.

'_That was **Squid** I was looking at!.?_' He asked himself, still unconvinced he was looking at the blond. '_When the hell did **he** get cute!.?_' His eyes widened at the thought as he shook his head.

'_What am I saying!.? I can't be thinking about Four Eyes that way! That's crazy! I only date hot-looking guys! …Not that I've managed to hook up with any guys, but still… I can't wind up with **him** of all people!_'

He held his chin as a thought came to him.

'_I wonder how he looks without those glasses of his on…_'

He looked at the screen with a glazed look as he pondered seeing the other boy without his spectacles on. He soon smiled at his fantasy.

Just then, the sound of clicking heels was heard approaching the living room. Seconds later, angry muttering was heard.

"**Lars!.!.!**" Sandy shouted at the brunet, shocking him out of his thoughts. "What do you think you're doing!.?.!" Irritated for having his pleasant, but completely unexpected thought ruined, he turned towards her. He was getting ready to yell when he blinked.

His mother was dressed in a fancy black, sparkling dress and high heels of the same color. Her reddish-brown hair was fixed in an elegant bun unlike how it normally looks. She was wearing red lipstick, blue eye shadow, and blush. Finally, her nails were done; they were black as well. Lars glowered at her before he realized something.

"Ha! You can't say anything this time!" He shouted hysterically. "I'm not sitting too close to the TV! I'm nice and comfortable on the sofa, which is a few feet away! Now what!.?"

She only crossed her arms as a smirk overcame her features.

"Well, I wouldn't have anything to say…" She started, causing Lars to give her a smug, defiant look. "…_If_ you weren't sitting in the dark!"

Indeed, save for the glow of the TV, the entire room was pitch black. The boy slapped his head. He knew all too well that you're not supposed to watch TV in the dark. After all, that was what caused Uncle Manuel to lose his eyesight in the first place. He paled when he saw his mother reach for the light switch. His eyes widened and he gulped fearfully when he realized that he must've been sitting there for a good couple of hours.

"Mom! Wait!" He pleaded with a gasp.

Too late.

°Click!°

Instantly, Lars' pain filled screech echoed throughout the cul-de-sac, causing everyone nearby to look at the house in confusion.

"Now hurry up and get dressed!" Sandy ordered, watching her older son hold his eyes in agony.

'_Ugh! I'm starting to think it wasn't **just** watching TV in the dark that did in Uncle Manuel…_' He groaned as his eyes adjusted to the light. He then recalled what his mother just said and raised an eyebrow.

"Get dressed? For what? And whaddya think I'm wearing?" He asked, standing. He then gestured at his clothes.

"You're not going out in that! Not tonight! Go put on your good clothes and tie." She replied. "And don't forget your dress shoes! We're going out to celebrate my and your father's anniversary. Now hurry! Your father, Mauricio, and Otto are waiting in the car."

"It's your anniversary already?" He questioned, walking towards his room. Sandy nodded as she followed. Before he opened his door, he raised an eyebrow at her. "Hey, wait a minute… Since when do _we_ go with you on your _date_?" He shuddered at the word. "And what's _that_ little dork doing coming with us!.?"

"Lars!" She scolded. "He is _not_ a dork! He's going to be your brother-in-law someday!"

Again, Lars shuddered. He couldn't begin to imagine how horrible it'd be to call Otto his _brother_ of all things.

"It's also _their_ anniversary, remember?" She continued.

The teen resisted the all-too-tempting urge to gag at that one. He had forgotten that it was exactly a year ago that _those_ two got together. As he walked inside, he held his chin. It was that day that they got together, at least according to Twister… He scoffed at the memory.

'_Knowing him, he probably said that just so that Mom and Dad could praise them and shower them with gifts._'

He sighed as he closed the door and proceeded to get dressed.


	3. Chaos at Dinner

Two Extra Eyes

Chapter Three

Chaos at Dinner

If there was anything Lars hated above everything else in the world, it was these three things.

First, having to wear his good clothes. They _always_ chafed, making him itchy to the breaking point! Not to mention his tie always choked him. And his shoes were so tight, it felt like the bones in his feet would shatter if he moved even the slightest. He couldn't even wear his hat! Sandy had insisted that it was so old and dirty, it'd be an embarrassment to let him wear it. Lars grumbled and inwardly commented on her and his father's choice of dress. To him, their clothes were old enough to have been worn by cavemen. They belonged in a museum for crying out loud!

Second, hearing his parents, brother, and rival/annoyance sweet talk, get all lovey-dovey, and worst of all, _kiss_ whenever they had the chance! Oooooohhhhh he hated that! On the ride over to the restaurant, his mother and father were practically all over each other (amazingly without Raoul losing control of the car). They would call each other these pet names that Lars was sure came out of some lame play or something. Raoul called his wife "his little lark" and "his little songbird," as well as other degrading things. Sandy always had something to counter him, calling him a variety of equally disturbing and old school names. It took everything Lars had not to jump out the car.

'_How could they live with themselves?_' He wondered with disgust.

Then there were Otto and Twister, who were sitting in the back (sadly along with the bully). Like Lars, they were wearing pressed dress shirts, pants, and ties. Twister's hair was slicked back with hair gel. He also wasn't wearing his hat. Otto… Lars gave him a strange look. He never thought he'd live to see the day his rival was actually proper. He wasn't even wearing his trademark sunglasses (No doubt per Sandy's request. '_Uncle Manuel…_' The older boy thought with a snarl) or his headband! His fiery dreadlocks fell down the sides of his head. The brunet scratched his head. Considering how much the boy's hair had to have grown over the years, it was amazing that the tiny piece of fabric was still able to hold it all up…

He shrugged.

Anyway, they constantly whispered to each other and all too often made out (quite loudly I might add). Ten out of eleven times, Sandy had to look over the back of her seat and tell the giggling couple to break it up. They only giggled more as they complied with her request. Not even a minute would pass before their tongues were down each other's throats again, causing Lars to come dangerously close to tossing his cookies. In case you're wondering, the eleventh time, Raoul looked over the back of his seat (when they were at a stoplight, of course) and threatened that if they didn't stop, he would make them sit at both ends of the car, and have Lars sit in between them!

Thankfully for the brunet, this never came to pass. The two redheads calmed down as the car went on its way again. Lars sighed with relief at this knowledge. If he thought they were bad when they were right next to each other, imagine them having to sit _across_ from each other! It would've been a nightmare for the older sibling. Although he hasn't been in the car with the couple much ('_Thank God!_' He thought happily), he was pretty sure that they would've tried some very, _very_ stupid things to communicate with each other should they ever be separated.

For example, they would text message each other using their cell phones and giggle. And if _that_ wasn't bad enough, he would've had to contend with their annoying ring tones. There's _no_ way he could've stood listening to a beeping rendition of "Get Dancing" (Twister's ring tone) _every_ five seconds! Then there would've been the sign language. Clearly, that would've been _much_ worse. Otto and Twister, on either side of Lars, doing weird gestures that had no specific meaning to the brunet but obviously was too goofy and lovey-dovey for words. The two boys would chuckle and laugh at each other. Finally, there was the sound of them blowing kisses to each other. The brunet shuddered. If _that_ happened, he would've been liable to disobey his mother's order to not tease them by punching Otto's face in…and maybe Twister's too. Why? Because he can.

But again, that never happened. Instead, the redheads resorted to holding each other's hands (and occasionally going _down there_ with their free hands…) and laughing at their (in Lars' opinion) stupid jokes. He held his ears as he banged his head softly against the window.

'**_Please_**_ let us get to this place already!_' He moaned as they continued onward.

And this leads us to the third and final thing Lars hates above all else. Being stuck in some restaurant listening to his parents, brother, and rival/annoyance going at it _without_ having anyone to talk to! This horrifying experience would've been a little more bearable if he just had someone to converse with or at the very least share his pain. Unfortunately, none of his henchmen would ever agree to suffer through this torment in a million years! And he couldn't blame them. Who in their right mind would go through _this_ with him!.? Nobody, not even his boyfriend (if he had one that is…) would want to sit here in Red Lobster watching two kooks and his parents acting out some weird, whacked out fantasy! It was as if they were all drunk or something!

Lars sighed as he propped his head on a hand and watched Raoul and Sandy cling to each other while feeding each other the complimentary biscuits that were on the table. It wasn't _so_ bad. At least they were in a decent place instead of some fancy French restaurant. He didn't have to worry about manners.

Speaking of which…

"Lars! Get your elbow off the table!" Sandy scolded.

"Yes, ma'am…" He complied with a growl as he looked to his right. He cringed and cursed inwardly when he saw Otto and Twister tipping each other's water glass into the other's mouth. He glowered as he stared at his own water glass.

'_I wonder if that's enough to drown me…_' He contemplated.

Anyway, there was also the knowledge that Twister absolutely _hated_ fish. _That_ little tidbit of info made Lars smirk and chuckle mischievously. He seriously considered ordering the grossest fish on the menu and waving it in front of his brother just to freak him out. He idly wondered how fast his mother would jump on him for doing so. Considering her current emotional state, he probably would've gotten a generous amount of time for a change before she nagged at him. Also, he had the fact that they were in a public place on his side. He snickered and decided to make a mental note for when the menu came.

Speaking of menus, it was taking forever for theirs to come. He was hungry already! That was when he noticed the only biscuit remaining on the table. That tasty roll stuffed full of herbs and spices that he didn't care about. All that he knew was that it's delicious! The biscuits are practically the reason they came here! Drooling slightly, he reached out and grabbed the biscuit, which strangely was kind of reddish like cinnamon. Also, it was kinda warm and smooth…

"Huh?" He heard Otto gasp. "Hey! Whaddya think you're doing Lars?.!"

"Shaddap!" The brunet growled, pulling the biscuit towards his mouth. "I'm starving and the last roll's mine!"

"But that's not—"

"I said shaddap!" Lars licked his lips as he opened wide. "It's chow time!"

The others looked and gasped when they saw what was happening. They all protested against the brunet's actions, but Lars, not knowing what they were getting so worked up about, shrugged and closed the distance between his teeth and the delectable bread.

°CHOMP!.!.!°

"YEOWCH!.!.!" Otto yelped, pulling back his hand. It had teeth marks near his knuckles that went pretty deep, but not so deep that the skin was penetrated. He blew on it as Twister got some ice wrapped in a napkin. The shorter redhead hissed when he felt the cold sting. Everybody glared at Lars who in turn was glowering at his rival.

"Hey, what're ya doing taking my biscuit, Rocket Dork!.?" He demanded.

"Biscuit!.? That was my _hand_, ya lame-o!.!.!" Otto shouted. The brunet blinked in confusion.

"Your hand?" He asked. The redhead nodded. Lars held his chin. Come to think of it, that biscuit _did_ taste kind of odd…

His eyes widened.

"If that was your hand, then…" That was when he realized where that's been. "AW SICK!.!.!" He grabbed his napkin and wiped his tongue as clean as he possibly could. Meanwhile, Sandy and Raoul looked at him strangely before rounding on Otto and Twister, who were chuckling nervously, their faces red in embarrassment.

Thankfully, the waiter arrived, interrupting this situation before it could get anymore out of hand. Everybody was given their menu. As soon Lars looked at it, his eyes began to itch. He rubbed his hand against them in an effort to quell the irritation, but they continued to itch.

'_Ugh… What the…?_' He grumbled, trying to get his eyes to chill. They continued to nag at him relentlessly.

"I'll have the lobster steak." Raoul told the waiter.

"I think I'll have the flounder." Sandy said.

'_What's going on, here!.?_' Lars yelled inwardly.

Not only were his eyes still bothering him, but now he found it difficult to read his menu. The letters and pictures looked blurry and splotchy. He started to panic as he tried to bring things back into focus.

"Blech!" Twister cringed at his mother's order. "I'll just have a steak and applesauce."

"How would you like your steak?" The waiter asked, writing down the order.

"Well done, I guess…"

"And I'll have the shrimp fettuccini." Otto said.

"Yuck!"

"Chill out, Twist!"

Raising an eyebrow at the two, the waiter finally turned to Lars. "And you? What will you have sir?"

The brunet paled. It was his turn to order and he was _still_ unable to see the choices! He trembled in fear as everything his mother said to him came back in full force. Sitting too close to the TV, reading in dim light, watching TV in the dark… Those were the main things that Uncle Manuel did before he was inflicted with blindness. And it wasn't only those three instances. This has been going on for _months_! But this can't be happening to him. Uncle Manuel was doing all that and more for _years_ before he finally lost his sight. Lars can't be going blind, he just can't! But he can't see! Everything was blurry to him! He took in a couple deep breaths and tried to calm down.

'_Come on, you can do this…_' He encouraged himself. '_You just gotta make the order and get through the rest of the night…_' He cleared his throat and prepared to start the charade.

"Ummm… I'll have a…"

He stumbled over his words, trying to remember something he's ordered on past visits to the restaurant. Anything would do! But alas, in the confusion and overall worry regarding the condition of his eyes, he couldn't think of anything. Finally sighing, he decided to order the same thing one of the others picked.

"I'll have the flounder…" He said, sighing again as he handed the menu to the waiter, who left mumbling something.

"Took ya long enough!" Otto taunted. It seemed he was still angry at his future brother-in-law for the hand incident. Lars growled and shot his head up, ready to counter the boy, when he stopped dead in his tracks.

Everything and everybody was completely blurred! He couldn't tell where everyone was sitting at. It was like looking at a painting that melted. All the colors blended into one another, throwing the poor brunet into a completely new world. One where he was unable to perceive objects. One without any set direction. One where all the paths and roads led into one another before shooting off in random directions. He couldn't remember where everybody was sitting so he faced a random direction, which happened to be his left, and shouted.

"Shut your trap, ya little brat!"

A shocked gasp was heard immediately after. A shocked _female_ gasp.

"Lars!" Sandy scolded. "Watch who you're talking to!"

'_Easier said than done…_' The teen thought. He turned to his right this time.

"Uhhh… Sorry mom?"

"Why are ya saying sorry to me?" Twister asked confusedly. He pointed across from him. "Mom's over there!"

Lars slapped himself mentally and glowered, facing southeast, which was away from the table completely.

"Shaddap, ya little shrimp!"

"Uhhh… Why yes, they're shrimp…" A waitress said, passing by with a tray full of shrimp cocktails, eyebrow raised.

"Lars, are you feeling alright?" Sandy asked, full of concern.

"Yeah, you seem a little odd this evening." Raoul added.

Gulping, Lars faced the table (or at least he _hoped_ it was the table) and nodded.

"Of course I'm fine." He answered. "I'm just feeling a little overworked. School ya know?"

He shrugged, inwardly praying his parents bought it. Unfortunately, they were doubly worried. It could've been the cheesy grin he gave. It may have been the fact that school's been out for a couple of weeks. It might've even been his red and tired-looking eyes. But the definite reason had to have been the fact that he was looking at _Otto and Twister_! Sandy and Raoul looked at each other and smirked mischievously.

"Ok Lars." Sandy said, turning to him with a grin. "I'll overlook this if you give me a kiss on the cheek."

"WHA?.?.?" The two redheads gaped at her. The woman's glare shut them up instantly. Having no clue what was going on, Lars huffed in irritation. He hated to show his love for his mother (or anybody else for that matter) in public. It was embarrassing. He crossed his arms.

"Ok…" He hissed uncomfortably. He closed his eyes and puckered his lips as he bent towards where he thought his mother was. His lips soon came into contact with skin. After pulling away, Lars scratched his head. His mother's cheek sure felt rough…

"GROSS!.!.!" Otto exclaimed, rubbing his cheek as Sandy and Raoul were beside themselves with laughter. "What the hell's your deal, Lars!.?.! Are ya blind or something!.?"

"What's your problem, Rocket Dork!.?" Lars barked, facing Raoul, who glared at him. "You never saw a guy kiss his mother before!.?"

"No… But the thing is YOU KISSED **OTTO**!.!.!" Twister roared, answering for his boyfriend. Rage was clearly written all over his face. Lars blinked and snapped his head away from the table again.

"You mean to tell me I kissed…" His eyes widened. "AW _COME ON_!.!.!" He instantly grabbed his napkin and applied it to his lips in an attempt to get the feeling of his rival's skin off of him.

"That does it, Lars!" Sandy shouted, getting over the effects of her prank. "I knew doing all that stuff to your eyes would get you in the end! You're going to the eye doctor first thing tomorrow morning!"

"The EYE DOCTOR!.?.!" Lars exclaimed, facing Otto again. "Come on, Mom! My eyes are fine!"

"For the last time…" Otto seethed, grabbing the brunet's head. "I AIN'T YOUR MOM!.!.!" He made the older boy face Sandy.

"Get offa me, dorko!" The brunet protested, slapping the other's hand away. "Why'd ya make me look at my dad for!.?"

"I'm over here, Lars!" Raoul told him, trying to get his attention. He was on Sandy's left. Lars growled in irritation.

"Man whatever! I'm going to the bathroom." He grumbled as he stood and walked away.

Big mistake.

To make a long story short, by the end of the night, they owed the restaurant over five hundred dollars in broken dishes and Lars was covered in enough fish, shrimp, clams, oysters, crabs, and lobsters to fill the Pacific Ocean.

Later, at the Rodriguez residence…

"Ugh… What a night…" Otto moaned, slumping into the house, followed by Raoul and Twister.

"That was the worst anniversary dinner ever…" The former commented.

"You said it…" Twister groaned, joining his lover on the couch. "…And it was our first too!.!.!"

Sobbing, he clung to a somewhat freaked out Otto as the sounds of fighting and cats' meowing were heard.

"I told you doing all of those things would cause you to lose your eyesight, didn't I!.?.!" Sandy shouted, swinging at them with her purse. "Get back!.!.!"

"Get the hell away from me!.!.! I ain't your dinner!.!.!" Lars roared at the felines before turning to his "mother" (the nearby shrubs). "How was I supposed to know that doing that stuff _really_ ruins your eyes!.?.! I'm not supposed to care about that sorta thing!"

"I said back!.!.!" She actually knocked one away that time. "I TOLD you a thousand times! It's because—"

"Uncle Manuel did the same things! I know, I know!" The boy countered, punching away a cat that nibbled on his leg. "That's a load of bull! He must've got blind because of the chemicals he keeps around his house!"

They finally got inside and slammed the door shut. Fevered scratching and hungry meows could be heard against it.

"Hey! I _knew_ your uncle for twenty years before I married your father!" Sandy yelled at Lars. "He didn't become blind because of chemicals! He _always_ sat too close to the TV, watched it in the dark, read in dim light, and tons of other things! So I _know_ doing all that could make you lose your eyesight! But did you listen to me? Noooooo!.!.!"

"Like I care! I'm not going to the eye doctor and that's that!" The teen stomped his foot, facing the coat rack. Rolling her eyes, Sandy put her hands on her hips.

"Lars, I'm your mother and you live under _my_ roof! And until you turn eighteen and leave this house, you will abide by _my_ rules!"

Lars growled and made to retort when Otto stood and got in between them.

"Woah! Wait a minute!" He shouted. "I know how you guys could settle this!"

"How?" Both mother and son asked, rounding on him. Or at least _Sandy_ did. Lars faced the cactus at the corner of the room.

Otto smirked as he walked back to the sofa and grabbed Twister's hand. The taller redhead blinked as the shorter one guided him next to a life-sized mirror. Twister gave his boyfriend a strange look as he moved away and shoved Lars towards him. The brunet was soon standing in the middle of the two. The mirror was on his right and Twister was on his left. Otto snickered as he prepared himself.

"Ok, here's what you're gonna do." He started. He then pointed at his lover. "Punch Twist."

"BUH!.?.!" All four members of the family exclaimed confusedly.

"Have you gone crazy, Otto!.?.!" Twister demanded.

"Yeah!" Lars agreed. "You'd knock out anybody for even _looking_ at him wrong! Whaddya doing setting him up to get whomped!.?"

Sandy and Raoul voiced similar concerns for the auburn haired boy's sanity, but Otto silenced them (except for Lars apparently) with a dismissive wave.

"Chill out, you guys. I know what I'm doing." He turned to Lars. "Like I said, I want you to punch out Twist. He's either on the left or right. If ya choose correctly, you don't have to go to the eye doctor tomorrow. But if you pick _wrong_…"

Otto winked at Twister, Sandy, and Raoul. Their eyes brightened when they understood what he was getting at. Preparing for the worst, the only woman in the group went to the bathroom, presumably to fetch some bandages, gauze, and iodine. Lars gulped at the proposition. If he got it wrong, he'd have to go to the doctor tomorrow! But he couldn't back down. They'd still take him if he weaseled out of it. He looked at his two choices. The blob on his left _couldn't_ have been his brother. It looked way too dark to be him. But the one on the right… He smirked evilly in an attempt to regain his status as a bully to his rival and brother and nodded.

"Ok, it's a deal, Rocket Dork!" He then added, facing the mirror as he cracked his knuckles, "I'm gonna enjoy this. Now say cheese, twerp!"

Otto gave a wide, toothy grin as Lars charged towards the reflective glass with his fist reared back. When he was only inches away, he went for the punch…

°CRASH!.!.!°

Up until this very moment, Ocean Shores had never heard a louder scream than the one Otto made when he discovered that the wedding between his father and Noelani was on the same day as Zero Gravity Zone's opening day. That little warble was only enough for everyone in town to hear. The screech Lars made as the glass cut into his hand was loud enough to make every car alarm in town go off and every dog bark. Thankfully, none of his nerves were pierced. He broke his newly acquired record multiple times that evening when Sandy took out the shards and applied the iodine. That last yowl of pain caused by the stinging liquid was loud enough to cause every window in the cul-de-sac to shatter into a million pieces. The brunet, mumbling a vast assortment of curses at his brother's boyfriend, went to sleep that night with his right hand bandaged a dozen times over until even his fingers were covered.


	4. A Trip of Misery and Irony

Two Extra Eyes

Chapter Four

A Trip of Misery and Irony

The next day, we join Lars, Sandy, Otto, and Twister (why the last two decided to tag along is beyond me) in the waiting room one of the few eye doctors in Ocean Shores that weren't working for some company. Lars and Sandy were sitting on two armchairs that were by the receptionist while Otto and Twister were sitting on the only loveseat in the room. The rest of the room was packed. New age music sounded through the speakers.

Lars was sitting there miserably for a number of reasons. For one, his hand was itching him without mercy. It was driving him bananas! He sorely wanted to scratch at it, but his mother forbade him to do so ("Wouldn't want to get it infected now!" She said cheerfully. Otto and Twister laughed at him, causing a growl to form in his throat). Also, the pain from last night's little _wager_ lingered and burned in the confines of his appendage. He looked at where he thought the boy in sunglasses was and gave him a glare that would be instant death for anyone had he the ability. However, he was glaring at a potted plant. The other boys laughed even harder at that, making the older boy glare harder.

Next, the couple was up to their old antics _again_. Not even the fact they were in a doctor's office stopped them from getting all chummy! Lars grumbled, trying to drown out the sound of their laughing and occasional kissing. Thankfully, they didn't carry it any further than that. At least they had _some_ respect. He held his chin as he questioned the fact that they weren't getting yelled at. Perhaps it was the fact that half the people in the room couldn't even see them that allowed them to get away with it. He wondered why Sandy wasn't doing anything to stop them. That was when he realized that trying to stop _those_ two from flirting was like trying to stop time. It ain't gonna happen. He sighed.

The third thing that bothered him was that crappy music playing! Who was this quack, some kinda hippy!.?.! Didn't he have any Linkin Park or Green Day or Blink 182!.? Or at least Good Charlotte or Simple Plan! ANYTHING would be better than listening to _this_ junk! He groaned and held his ears, causing him to flinch and clutch his bad hand in pain. Again, he cursed Otto for his affliction.

The final thing he was worried about was the consequences of his recklessness with his eyes. What if he had to wear some dorky glasses just to be able to see? What would his friends say? Would he even be able to strike fear into the hearts of everyone if he's forced to look like a nerd? He smirked at that last one. Glasses or no glasses, he could still kick someone's ass if he needs to. And judging by how bad his eyes were, he was gonna be doing a _lot_ of ass kicking in the near future. He snickered and cracked his knuckles in anticipation.

Still though… **HE DIDN'T WANT TO WEAR GLASSES!.!.!** He had to find some way out of this mess! Maybe he could sneak out of the office! …No, that wouldn't work. Sandy was right next to him. She'd catch him as soon as he made a run for it. Besides, he couldn't see a foot in front of his face. He'd crash into the same wall ten times before even making it out the door. And even if he _could_ make it out before his mother caught him, where would he go? He'd probably just run out into the street without even knowing it until it was too late and… Lars shook his head. He didn't want to think about it.

Maybe he could go through with the check-up and when they try to put glasses on him, he could ask for contacts instead. Or maybe even laser surgery! Yeah, that might work! He just hoped his mother would have the money…

Just then, the door by the receptionist opened and a nurse walked into the room.

"Lars Rodriguez?" She called. Immediately, the quartet stood up. "The doctor will see you now. Follow me."

She walked into the doorway and presumably down a hall. Otto and Twister walked in first, holding hands and laughing like a bunch of hyenas. Lars, on the other hand… He had to hold his mother's hand and yet he STILL tripped all over the place! By the time the boy got in through the door, the whole waiting room was a wreck! The pictures and diplomas on the walls were shattered and knocked off. All of the magazines were torn and ripped ('_No big loss._' Lars thought. '_Those magazines were crap anyway._'). There were several holes in the walls. Lastly, and for some _really_ weird, unknown reason, the loveseat caught fire in the chaos.

Sighing and pulling out her checkbook, Sandy escorted her oldest into an examination room. Thankfully for the teen, she kept Otto and Twister _out_ of the room. After a few moments, the doctor entered. He was what you'd expect from a doctor. Tall with brown hair, a slight tan, and in a white lab coat. The main thing about him was that he was young, like in his late 20s. As he entered, a wolf whistle was heard. A few seconds passed before an argument was started by a very jealous Twister. With a strange look, the doctor closed the door as Lars and Sandy shook their heads in embarrassment. He then cleared his throat as he prepared to speak.

"Now then, what seems to be the problem?"

'_Like he doesn't know…_' Lars scoffed inwardly. Sandy, however, was more patient.

"He's been doing all kinds of things to his eyes and now he can't see anything!" She cried desperately.

"I see…" The doctor said, writing something down on his clipboard.

"Can you do anything for him?"

"First, I must assess the patient." The man replied, turning to Lars, who was facing a plastic skeleton in the corner (I have _no_ clue what a skeleton was doing in an EYE doctor's office…). "So, you can't see at all?"

"Oh I can see alright." The one in the gray hat told the skeleton. "Everything's all blurry! I can't walk a foot without tripping over something! I can't even face the right thing when I'm talking to people!"

"Hmmm… Alright." The doctor wrote in his clipboard again. "We'll perform some tests and see what we can do for you. But I have to say, judging by what you told me, you may have to wear glasses."

Lars gulped as the doctor turned to Sandy.

"How long has he been damaging his eyes?"

"It's been going on for months, doctor." She answered. "He's done just about everything. Reading in dim light, sitting too close to the TV, staring directly at the sun and flashlights; you name it, he's done it."

The doctor raised an eyebrow at her before turning to Lars. No one over sixteen would voluntarily do all that to their eyes. It was simply unheard of! Feeling his eyes on him, Lars shrugged.

"What can I say? It's been a boring few months." He then jabbed a thumb towards the wall behind him. "You saw those two kooks outside before ya came in, right?"

The doctor turned towards the door and paled when he heard kissing on the other side. With an uncomfortable look on his face, he nodded.

"Yes…"

"Try dealing with _that_ for a few months and see if _you_ don't go blind."

"…" The doctor blinked and cleared his throat. "Let's…start the tests…"

And so, the tests began. First, Lars was sat in front of a chart that had letters of different sizes on it. He was forced to look at it by Sandy, who held his head. The doctor told him to read the letters. The brunet in the hat squinted, but he was able to make them out. Unfortunately, he wound up naming _numbers_ instead. With a freaked out look, the optometrist handed him a plastic disc and had him read the chart two more times, once with each eye covered.

The results were even stranger. When Lars held it over his left eye, he read numbers again. And when he put the disc over his right eye, he saw only shapes and objects! Slapping his head, the doctor moved on to the next phase. He shone a light into each of Lars' eyes. The teen cringed at the brightness and moved his head away. The doctor sighed with relief. At least he responded to _that_ test. Sandy looked at the doctor strangely. Doesn't that part go _before_ the chart? The optometrist answered her unasked question by explaining that he just got out of medical school and is still learning the ropes. Lars responded with a sarcastic remark, which Sandy scolded him for. Wishing he decided to go on vacation _this_ week instead of a couple of weeks ago, the doctor moved on to the final test.

Lars was put into a huge apparatus that had many lenses in it. Then the doctor rotated through several lenses until the teen was able to see the chart across from him clearly and sharply. It took a _very_ long time before the brunet was able to see clearly. During the process, the doctor was starting to get annoyed. _No_ test has ever taken as long as this one! They usually last at least thirty minutes. _This_ one was going on two _hours_! He was starting to think that Lars was faking it, but he decided to drop the subject. After all, he had his duty as an optometrist to honor.

When Lars was finally able to see clearly, the current lenses on the machine seemed to be about as thick as a block of wood. Again, the doctor breathed a sigh of relief. He was just _one_ lens away from being at the maximum setting! …But at least he can now see. After making the boy read the chart again (and getting it right), he wrote down the results and released Lars. The mother and son then looked at the doctor anxiously. Well, _Sandy_ was. Lars was staring at a poster on the wall next to him.

"Well?" The mother asked. The doctor shook his head.

"It's not good." He answered. "Thankfully, your son is not blind." Now it was their turn to sigh with relief. "However, it is my opinion that he is suffering from a condition called 'tired eyesight.' Basically, because of everything he's done to his eyes, they're strained and tired, hence the name." He then turned to Lars, who had a nervous look on his face, despite not being seen by the doctor. "It is my sad duty to report that you'll have to wear glasses until they heal and can function normally again."

"No!" Lars gasped. "There's gotta be another way! What if I got laser surgery instead!.?.!" He pleaded.

"Sorry, no can do." The man shook his head. "You have to be at least twenty-one in order to have the surgery."

"Damn age restrictions…" The teen muttered. "Well, what about contact lenses!.?"

"That's not an option either, I'm afraid. The lenses that worked for you are simply too big to imitate as contacts."

"Besides, our insurance doesn't cover contacts." Sandy supplied. Lars sulked.

"So I'm stuck wearing _glasses_!.?.! For how long!.?"

"Well, like I said, until your eyes heal." The doctor answered. "It can take a couple of days, maybe a week or so, or even a month. The very worst cases take _years_ to recover." Lars gulped at that. "Until they heal, you _must_ wear your glasses _every single day_. The more often you wear them, the quicker it'll take for your eyes to recover. Understand?"

The brunet in the hat nodded in defeat. "Yes…"

"Good." The doctor nodded and opened the door. "Follow me and we'll go pick out your frames."

Looking at the floor the whole time, Lars was escorted out of the examination room and into a separate room, followed by Otto and Twister (who were sleeping against each other prior to Lars exiting). Once they entered the new room, everyone found themselves in a chamber filled from wall to wall with glasses of various shapes and sizes. There were frames for children, adults, and everywhere in between and beyond. It was like standing in a museum or a temple of sorts. Sandy, Otto, and Twister stared in awe as they took in sight of the room. Lars, however, was moaning in pain. In just a short while, his fate would be sealed.

In the middle of it all stood a table that had a small mirror on top of it. In front of it were two chairs while one was behind it. The doctor told Lars and Sandy to be seated while he looked around for something Lars might like. Being his age once, he knew of the pain one experiences when they wear glasses for the first time. So he tried to pick the best looking frames he could find.

Unfortunately, Lars, who didn't even _want_ glasses in the first place, was being very difficult to please. He didn't want any sleek red frames, or blue or yellow. He wouldn't even try on the gold or silver ones! No matter the size and style, the brunet hated all of them. He despised the half moon specs and even the crescent moon ones. He wouldn't even look at the rich-looking square-shaped ones (not that he could anyway).

As the optometrist sweated trying to find the perfect pair of frames, Otto and Twister were busy playing around and trying on the glasses on display. They laughed and pointed at each other as they commented on how goofy they looked. A couple of times, the couple found frames that, as Otto put it, brings out the sexiness in the other's eyes. They giggled in those rare moments and went back to playing.

Soon, they found a _very_ familiar pair of glasses. It was so similar, so sublime, so…_perfect for the prank of the century_. They grinned evilly at each other and called over the doctor and Sandy. When the two adults arrived, the redheads pointed out the pair. Both adults raised an eyebrow and protested their choice. They both knew beyond the shadow of a doubt that Lars would _never_ go for it; Sandy from experience and the doctor from the boy's apparent refusal to cooperate. Those glasses were _way_ too nerdy for him to wear! He would no sooner break them before wearing them! But Twister reassured that the glasses were indestructible. And Otto anxiously told Sandy that wearing those glasses would teach Lars an important lesson about respect.

After arguing the main points and coming up with a way to explain this to Lars without allowing him to discard the frames, everybody made their way back to the brunet in question. The doctor, who was holding the frames, and Mrs. Rodriguez sat down at the table while the two redheads snickered to each other.

"It has come to my attention that your insurance only covers enough for _this_ pair of frames." The doctor said. Lars glowered at the wall next to him.

"So you wasted all this time when I'm stuck with some lousy glasses!.?"

"Lars! Respect!" Sandy scolded. Lars grumbled as he held out his hand in defeat.

"Let me put them on." He growled hatefully. He wasn't about to give his mother or those two little twerps the satisfaction. He still had his dignity.

Shrugging, the doctor handed Lars the frames. Giving another growl of distaste, he brought the glasses to eye level and put them over his eyes. The lenses weren't strong enough to allow him to see clearly, but he was finally able to make out shapes. He turned away from the wall to face the doctor and the others who vaguely resembled melting wax statues. He was able to make out their expressions. He glared at Otto and Twister who looked like they were about to bust a gut.

"What the hell are you two losers laughing at!.?.!" He barked.

"PFFFFFTTTT!.!.! HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!.!.!" The two boys roared with laughter as they pointed at him. The brunet raised an eyebrow when he heard the snickers of the doctor and Sandy. As Otto and Twister fell to the ground and rolled around on it, Lars turned towards the two adults with confusion etched on his face.

"What's up with _you_ two!.?"

But they too lost it and bellowed with laughter. As their chuckles echoed around the room, a massively ticked off Lars snatched up the mirror off the desk. The image was fuzzy, but the message was clear. The brunet gasped in horror as one of his greatest nightmares was realized. He ran a finger over the thick black square-shaped frames, gaping in pure fear. His mouth was moving like a fish out of water as he studied his vile reflection. His eyes were wide in complete shock when he knew it to be true.

"I-I-I-I look like _Squid_!.!.!" He screamed.

He didn't have much more time to access the situation. He fainted seconds later. The last thing he heard before losing conciousness was the doctor telling Sandy that the glasses would be ready in a couple of days.


	5. Lars’ Bad Days

Two Extra Eyes

Chapter Five

Lars' Bad Days

"Aaaahhh!.!.!" Lars gasped as he shot up.

He panted, bringing precious air into his lungs as he wiped his sweaty forehead. When he caught his breath and his raging heartbeat returned to normal, he blinked and stared at the ceiling of his room, which he was able to see clearly. He then looked around himself. Everything came in sharp and clear. He breathed a relieved sigh and lied back in bed.

"Whew… It was all a dream…"

He got up and grabbed his clothes out of his dresser.

"Man! Talk about a whacked out dream!"

He put on his shorts.

"Of all the things I dream about, I dream about being forced to wear the same glasses as _Squid_!.?"

He put his shirt over his head and pulled down. He then put on his hat and adjusted it as he walked towards his mirror.

"That had to have been the _stupidest_ dream ever!" He laughed to himself as he drew closer. "I mean, _me_ needing glasses!.? That'll never happen in a million…"

He trailed off as he finally saw his reflection. Everything about him was normal. …Well, except for one _major_ detail. There was a foreign _black_ substance covering his eyes. Both of his eyes were covered by a hard, glass-like shell. They were magnified to the point that the color of his pupils could be seen in addition to them being surrounded by an opaque background.

Eyes wide with fear, he felt the substance. His fingers trembled as he ran them over the sleek surface. Those square jail cells for his eyes felt more real than ever before. He felt the left glass and shuddered at its frigidness. As he withdrew his fingers, his fingerprints obstructed his view, causing him to whimper as the truth became even more evident. He felt behind his ears and snapped his hands away as if he felt fire. Cautiously, he put his hands behind his ears against until he felt the stiff, plastic arms.

"N-n-n-no… This can't be…" He stuttered, growing pale.

At the door, a snickering Otto was looking in. He knew that it would be the biggest bust if he put his rival's new glasses on his eyes in his sleep. Noticing what was building up, he quickly ran over to Twister's room. Once he was inside, he jumped into the bed, startling his boyfriend. Twister sputtered in alarm as he thrashed around in the sheets. He soon cracked open an eye and found himself staring at a grinning Otto, who was wearing only his boxers. Immediately, he closed his eyes and turned away.

"Ottoman…" He groaned. "It's too early… I thought after last night, you woulda been sleeping til noon…"

"I know, babe. And you were great last night as always." Otto replied, shaking the other boy. "But this is just too good to pass up! C'mon! Get up!"

"Ugh! I'm up! I'm up!" Twister moaned as he sat up. He blinked and put on a sluggish grin when he noticed the auburn haired boy's state of dress. "Heh, heh… You're hot when you're wearing just your boxers…"

"Yeah, and you're gorgeous when you're wearing just yours, which if I'm not mistaken…" The shorter one lifted the covers, causing the taller one to blush. He looked up and smirked at Twister. "…Is right now."

"Ha, ha. Very funny…" The other boy stifled a yawn as he snatched the covers. Otto smirked at the action.

"Awww, is widdle Mauricio sweepy?" He said in a cute voice. Twister gave him a light glower as he got off the bed. As the shorter redhead so eloquently pointed out, he too was dressed in just his boxers.

"Yes, Mauricio is vewy sweepy because his boyfriend—who ain't gonna get any tonight!—decide to wake him up vewy early in the morning!" He retorted in the same tone of voice. Otto faked a flinch at the threat, but quickly bounced back with a grin.

"Now you and I both know that's a lie."

Twister crossed his arms. "We'll see about that." Otto gulped in response. "So why am I up so early for?"

"You mean besides letting me look at your hot body?"

"…" Rolling his eyes, Twister turned towards the bed. "I'm going back to sleep."

"Fine." The boy in the sunglasses smirked. "But you're gonna miss Lars screaming bloody murder…"

In one swift motion, the taller redhead turned, grabbed his hand, and dragged him over to the door to hear the music. Otto grinned at him.

"I knew you'd see it my way."

"Shhhhh!.!.!" Twister shushed. "I wanna hear!"

They both put their ears against the door to listen.

Meanwhile, Lars was gaping at his reflection like a fish out of water. There was no denying it anymore. That experience at the eye doctor's really _did_ happen. It wasn't a dream at all. This was his greatest nightmare realized. His eyes were wide with fright as he felt his new glasses for what seemed to be the hundredth time. Right down to the square lenses, they were exactly the same as Sam's spectacles. The brunet was even willing to bet they had the same exact degree of magnification as the blond's glasses. Three strands of hair went over the right lens, nearly covering it from view. Right now he wished his hair overtook his entire face. It scared him tremendously to be looking at himself this way.

"I-I-I-I look like _Squid_!.!.!" He cried out. "And this time, it ain't a dream!.!.!"

He closed his eyes and took a deep breath, as if preparing to let out the mother of all screams. Meanwhile, Otto and Twister were snickering behind the latter's door.

"Here it comes, here it comes!" Otto whispered, silencing his lover.

Inside his room, Lars opened his mouth wide. …However, no sound came out… Which was strange because his uvula was clearly moving. Quite rapidly in fact. A few moments passed and the two nearly naked redheads were starting to get impatient.

"What's the deal!.? I thought he was supposed to scream!" Twister protested, standing up.

"Yeah! What gives?.!" Otto agreed, standing up as well. "What's taking him so long to—"

He was cut off by what sounded like a dog's barking. The redhead turned to Twister with a seductive smirk.

"Why Twist! I never knew you were so kinky. It's kinda a turn on…" He trailed off, running a finger over the taller boy's chest. Twister shivered in pleasure.

"As much as I wanna take credit for it, that wasn't me, bro."

Otto raised an eyebrow at him. "Then who was it?"

Just then, several hundred barks, yaps, howls, and whimpers were heard. Looking at each other strangely, the two boys ran over to the window. Their eyes widened at what they saw.

Dogs littered the entire cul-de-sac and over half the hill leading towards the pier!.!.! There were all kinds. Puppies, full grown bulldogs, basset hounds, greyhounds, Doberman pinschers, German shepherds, police dogs, and even Seeing Eye dogs (with their owners!) were all over the place! Otto and Twister turned to each other with looks of understanding.

"Ohhhhh… I get it!" The shorter one started. "Lars screamed so loud, only dogs were able to hear him!"

"So _that's_ why every dog in Ocean Shores is outside…"

Otto chuckled and elbowed his best bro. "Hey, maybe your puppy is down there too."

Twister blinked at him. "I have a puppy?"

The redhead in the sunglasses slapped his head before turning to his lover, the seductive smirk returning.

"So… Since we're up and there's no way we'll go back to sleep with all those dogs barking…" He started, running his hands all over his lover's bare chest. Twister's breathing quickened as he brought the other boy close to him. He gave a low moan when he felt the other's warmth (not to mention something _else_…) rubbing against him. He then returned the smirk.

"Well, I guess we could do something _fun_…" He purred, planting his lips on the other boy's. Otto grinned as he broke the kiss and pushed the taller boy onto the bed. They continued their tonsil wrestling as they removed their boxers. They both giggled uncontrollably as they messed around.

(A/N: Notice how this is supposed to be a Lars/Sam fic, yet _those_ two have all the fun? ;-P)

Meanwhile, Lars stormed out of his room and stomped down the hall to the kitchen, where his parents were eating breakfast. When the bespectacled one entered the room, the adults took one look at him and immediately bit their lips in an attempt to stifle their laughter. The already ticked off teen glared icily at both of them.

"Don't even think about it." He growled as he sat at the table.

Fortunately for him, his parents were understanding. They cleared their throats and tried to have a peaceful breakfast, despite the barking dogs outside and the sound of bouncing bedsprings coming from Twister's bedroom. The sounds of those mongrels and those two twerps in addition to his parents slurping their coffee were getting on his nerves. Soon, Lars just couldn't take it anymore (And who could blame him? He _did_ just get glasses). He stood up and slammed his palms on the table.

"How the hell could you two be so calm about all this!.?" He barked. "There are tons of dogs outside, _those_ two dorks are doing it _again_, and worst of all _I'm_ stuck wearing stinkin' glasses! Why aren't ya doing anything!.?"

Raoul sipped his coffee. "Well, the dogs will leave sooner or later."

Sandy put two plates of eggs and bacon on the table. "And the boys should be done right about…"

Suddenly, Twister's door slammed open and two blurs whizzed over to the two empty places on the table. They were revealed to be Otto and Twister, who were fully dressed. The redheads immediately dug into their food and started eating. Sandy smirked at the gaping Lars as she handed him his own plate.

"Now."

Muttering obscenities to himself, the sixteen year-old sat down and chomped into his bacon. When he swallowed the piece, he decided to bring up his third point.

"Well, what about the glasses!.?"

"You know what the doctor said." His mother started. "You're too young for the laser surgery and you can't have contacts."

"Just wear them everyday." Raoul advised. "The more you wear them, the sooner they'll come off."

"So deal with it, four eyes!" Otto laughed, causing Lars to reach across the table, grab his shirt and pull him to his face.

"What'd you call me!.?.!" He demanded. The redhead didn't even struggle. He simply smirked at his rival.

"You heard me, _four eyes_!"

"Bust!.!.!" Twister shouted, breaking into fits of laughter. Grinding his teeth, Lars raised his fist above his head and made to punch the fifteen year-old.

"Lars!" Raoul warned, standing up with a strong glare.

The brunet looked up and then at Otto. Grumbling to himself, he let the younger boy go and left the kitchen. _He_ wasn't worth the headache his parents would've given him. He smirked to himself and made a mental note to get those two under the pier later. Or even better, out in the woods. That way, nobody could hear their screams. He snickered at the thought as he prepared to go out.

After about a half hour, Lars was in his skating gear. His skateboard was tucked under his arm. He gulped as he stepped towards the door. He had called his gang ten minutes ago and told them to meet him outside the house. This was the first time in a couple of days that he's seen them. He wondered what they would say about his…_new look_. He clenched his free fist. Glasses or no glasses, he was still Lars Rodriguez, the most evil bully in Ocean Shores!

Still though… What was a bully without the respect of his cronies?

Shaking his head, the brunet grabbed the doorknob and yanked it open, revealing the bright light of the sun. Lars shielded his eyes as he stepped out of the door. Being out for two days would do that to you. He looked at the bottom of the stairway and saw his crew conversing with each other. Giving one final gulp, he bowed his head as he descended the stairs. When he neared the bottom, his cronies noticed him and stopped their conversation.

"Lars! Good to have ya back, man!" Pi shouted happily.

"Hey!" Animal simply said with a wave. Sputz mumbled something, but Lars was grateful to hear him say, "I missed ya."

"Hey guys…" He said emotionlessly.

"We thought something real gnarly happened to ya and you were put in the hospital or something!" The round member of the gang told the leader. "We were really worried we lost ya."

"Lost me? Ha! Ya bunch of dorks ain't gonna lose me _that_ easily!" Lars yelled, still keeping his head low. "It'll take a _lot_ to take Lars Rodriguez down!"

"YEAH!.!.!" All three of the other Lasers howled, laughing their usual obnoxious way. Lars only chuckled nervously. Soon, the laughter died down and the three boys blinked at him.

"Why's yer head down?" Animal asked strangely.

"Yeah. What's up?" Pi supplied. Sputz added that he was real quiet. The leader sighed and took a deep breath.

"You guys know how I was gone for two days?" He asked. The others nodded. "Well…"

He picked up his head, revealing his glasses to the trio. They took one look at him and roared with laughter. They held their sides as they pointed at the boy, who only put on a look of extreme hatred. He let them have their fun for a couple of minutes before he dropped his board and walked over to them. Almost as fast as lightning, he grabbed Pi and Sputz by the shirt collar and pinned Animal to the ground by placing one foot on his head. The laughing immediately stopped as they struggled to escape from Lars' grasp, but to no avail.

"I'm sorry. I seem to be under the impression that something is funny." Lars started. He pulled Pi and Sputz right to his face and pushed harder on Animal's skull. "Well? Let me in on the joke!.!.!"

The redhead and rounder brunet gulped under the stronger boy's intense glare, which was magnified by his glasses. They both tried to talk, but they were simply too shaken up to reply. Animal's screaming voice was muffled by the concrete. He was clearly trying to get out of the hold Lars had on him, but the leader wasn't about to let go. He growled at the two in his hands as his eyes burned flames into their minds.

"I'm waiting."

"N-n-n-n-nothing is f-f-f-funny!" Pi blurted out. Sputz choked out a string of frightful mumbles before making the same response.

"Hmph! Yeah, that's what I thought." Lars huffed as he released his subordinates. He kicked up his board and walked onto the street as the others gasped for air and rubbed their necks. He stepped on his board as he turned to them. "Let's go ya bunch of lame-os! I'm in the mood to shred!"

He kicked off and rolled down the hill without waiting for the others to recover.

And so began a series of unfortunate events for the bespectacled bully. At Mad Town, it was one horrifying crash after another. Due to him only just starting wearing his glasses, it was incredibly hard to judge distances. It seemed that not only were his eyes magnified, but so was everything his saw. Therefore, he beefed it many times on the half pipe. He couldn't even perform the simplest of moves without wiping out! Whenever he launched into the air and performed a trick, he always thought the pipe was closer than it really appeared to be so he would get out of the maneuver too soon and crash.

He had similar trouble in the bowls in the park. He would always try for an ollie or a 360, but would instead wind up getting a face plant. Every time he tried to grind any of the rails, he would miscalculate his jump and crash into the rail itself, usually causing the wind to be knocked out of him. The very worst incident that day involved his board flying and knocking out everybody in the immediate area. The result: him and the Lasers getting banned for a week by Conroy.

As they left the park, the teen's subordinates fixed him with a glare. Glaring right back, he dismissed that disaster as being out of practice. Thankfully for him, they bought it and decided to go elsewhere. Lars gulped as a worried expression overtook his normally conniving look. Did he not only _look_ like Sam but also somehow had his _skills_? Shuddering, he shook his head and caught up to the others.

The next day, the quartet went to the beach for a little surfing. As they traveled across the burning sand to the curling blue, Lars occupied himself by catching ample glimpses of the studs there. Those few minutes were one of the few times that he was thankful for his glasses. Of all the things he missed while he was out those couple of days, he missed the sight of a boy's naked chest the most. He also stared at their fine legs and handsome faces. He sighed forlornly as fantasies played through his mind.

Unfortunately, looking at all those tanned bodies caused him to crash into his crew just as they stopped to admire the great swell. They gave him reproachful looks when they realized exactly why their leader bumped into them. Knowing what they would say, the boy in the glasses shook a fist at them, warning them to keep their mouths shut. Glaring icily and grumbling to each other, they reluctantly obeyed him and paddled out into the surf. Lars followed, ready to cool off his mind and spirit (and _something else_…).

The thing is, Mother Nature had other plans for him. He got thrashed by the huge waves at least a dozen times. He barely had a chance to get on his board before he was hit again. By the time he was able to finally get on a wave, he was water logged! The few times that he was actually able to surf, the majestic spray of the waves sent droplets into his lenses, obstructing his view. Each time he fought to maintain control, he wondered how Sam was able to deal with this right before he wiped out. Every time he resurfaced, he had to clean his glasses, which left him open to either get hit by more waves or, even worse, get thrown into a spin cycle! Those evil droplets even caused a few collisions between him and his crew. By the end of the day, all four of them had a great deal of concussions and bruises.

On the third day, the quartet decided to have an adventure in the woods. They rode around the trails of Ocean Shores Forest on their dirt bikes. Lars' hand had healed enough for him to get rid of the bandages, so he had no trouble holding the handlebars. Things went smoothly for the most part but soon, disaster stuck. Lars, who was having trouble steering, hit low branches the entire time they were in the forest.

Eventually, they all went down a steep hill. That was when the leader bumped into a root that was sticking out of the ground. The collision caused him to fall forward, taking his bike with him! He picked up all the dirt as he rolled down the hill, creating a huge dust ball! Pi and the others looked and felt their eyes go as wide as saucers. They couldn't react fast enough though. The giant ball crashed into them, causing them to barrel down the hill until they hit a tree at the bottom. They were all covered in dirt as they groaned in a mixture of pain and dizziness. A few seconds later, an object fell from the tree and into Lars' hands. He shook his head and examined it. It looked like half of a piece of fruit, only the exposed part of it had these strange hexagons…

"What the hell is _this_ thing, some kinda pineapple?" He questioned, looking closely at the hexagons. He held it to his ears and shook it to see if it was ripe. An _extremely_ loud buzzing was heard soon after, causing all four of them to look at the "pineapple" strangely.

"Uhhh… Lars, I don't think that's a pineapple…" Pi said, shuddering in fright. Lars glowered at him.

"Oh yeah!.? Then what is it, smart mouth!.?"

A black fog emerged from the "pineapple," causing all of them to pale and babble like idiots.

"A b-b-b-b-b-BEEHIVE!.!.!" Animal shouted.

"RUN FOR IT!.!.!" Lars screamed, dropping the hive and running for his life. The others followed as fast as their legs could carry them. Being much faster though, the yellow and black demons caught up in no time at all and made pincushions out of the Lasers' faces. By the time they got out of the forest, their faces were puffed up to the point that they resembled balloons.

The next day…

It was a close game as the Lasers and the Rockets faced off in the middle of the cul-de-sac! The score was tied at four each. One more point would win the game for either team. The majority of points for the Lasers were scored due to Sam staring at Lars in a mixture of love and curiosity. He had heard from Otto and Twister that the brunet of his dreams had gotten glasses, but they never said they were the exact same kind he wears. Lars actually looked handsome in them, at least from what he could tell from where he was standing. Sam smiled dreamily as he thought about what it'd be like to actually look into his eyes from behind those glasses.

Because of his gawking though, the Lasers were able to score three points against his team. The blond was chewed out by the redheads for that. Luckily, the team got their revenge against the opposition. Now they were tied as Lars got the puck.

'_Heh, heh… Now to beat those little twerps.'_ The brunet thought as he skated down the field.

Things were certainly shaping up today. His glasses didn't mess him up even once. He was thankful for that. His crew seemed to be rather…displeased with him. Actually, that'd be an understatement. They were downright pissed at him! Especially after yesterday's little fiasco. It felt like one more mishap would destroy things for him as the leader.

But nothing was going wrong today. And it was sunset to boot! The day was almost over! All he had to do was score this last goal and his team would win! The win would almost certainly make up for everything that happened these past three days.

The brunet weaved around his brother and soon found himself boxed in by the Rocket siblings. Thinking fast, he passed it backwards to Sputz, who blazed forward. Twister rounded on him so he faked a pass to Pi, which the redhead actually went for. Laughing at his trick, the tallest member of the Lasers slammed his stick into the puck, making it go flying towards Lars, who managed to skate past Otto and Reggie. The brunet caught the plastic disc and closed in on the goal. As he raised his stick to attempt to score, Sam couldn't help but notice how his muscles expanded, causing his broad chest to puff out. He gaped and drooled at the boy, making him miss Lars' shot completely.

"No!.!.!" Otto protested.

"Squid!.!.!" Twister yelled.

"Aw man…" Reggie groaned.

"Huh?.?.?" Sam shook his head and looked between his legs, where the puck had landed after bouncing against the goal's net.

"Yes!.!.! We won!.!.!" Lars cheered, raising his stick in victory. He turned towards his teammates who were already celebrating.

Unfortunately, as he rolled towards his teammates to slap their sticks in triumph, he didn't see the pothole in the street. Being the observant boy he is, Sam called out a warning to his crush. Being the evil bully he is, Lars told him to shut up. That was when he hit the pothole, causing him to stumble forward. The Lasers looked in alarm as their boss careened towards them until…

°CRASH!.!.!°

The Rocket crew rolled with laughter as the bullies rolled into their own goal net. That is, except for Sam. His expression was full of concern for Lars. He actually glared at his friends for being so insensitive. They didn't even care about the hot and extremely sexy Lars' safety! Those monsters! He looked on as the Lasers struggled to get untangled. They fell several times, causing the Rocket siblings and Twister to laugh even harder and Sam to glare icily at them. He was about to go over and help Lars out when the quartet finally got themselves separated.

"Alright! That's it!" Pi yelled as he and the other two Lasers stood up. "It was bad enough that you told us you were gay! That we could deal with. But then you had to get those nerdy glasses and keep crashing into us!"

Sputz and Animal voiced similar comments. Lars only glared at them.

"Hey! It's not _my_ vault! My mom forced me to wear these stupid glasses!"

Sam felt hurt at that retort, but watched on.

"You four eyed klutz!" Pi roared. "Stay away from us! Find yourself some new friends to bump into!"

Sputz made a string of babble that ended with "Blindie."

"Yeah!" Animal simply said.

The trio laughed as they began to roll away from the gaping former leader.

"B-b-b-b-b-but I…" He tried as tears began to build up in his eyes. He had lost his crew and what was a bully without his crew?

Already feeling his eyes leaking, he got up and rolled miserably to the bottom steps leading up to his house. He just sat there. He couldn't bring himself to crawl upstairs.

"BUST!.!.!" Otto and Twister shouted holding each other as they laughed even more at the brunet's misfortune. By now, Reggie was out of breath and just watching those two carry on. She idly wondered how long it'd be before they realize they're holding each other and start making out. Sam, however, had his hands on his hips as he glowered at the redheads.

"Come on you guys!" He tried. The couple only laughed louder at that. Seeing Sam glare at them, Reggie decided to go to action.

"C'mon you two!" She started, separating them. "Let's jet over to Mad Town."

"I'm down for that!" Otto said, skating away.

"Hey! Wait for me!" Twister shouted, following him down the hill. Reggie was about to go after them when she turned to Sam.

"You coming, Sammy?"

"You go on ahead, Reg." The blond replied, looking at the crestfallen Lars. "I got something to do first."

Reggie blinked and looked at the brunet as well. She then turned to Sam with a concerned expression.

"You sure you wanna do this? I mean what if he—"

"Don't worry, I'll be fine. Go on and catch up to Otto and Twist. You never know what trouble _those_ two could get into by themselves."

Reggie chuckled as she turned to leave. "Alright. Just be careful, Sammy."

With that, she skated down the hill, leaving only the blond and brunet by themselves. With a deep breath and a deep desire to comfort him, Sam skated towards the boy of his dreams.


	6. Lars’ Remorse

Two Extra Eyes

Chapter Six

Lars' Remorse

'_Aw man… This can't be happening to me…_' Lars thought miserably as he stared at the ground. He fought to hold back the tears that were threatening to fall. He bit his lips as he turned sharply to the side.

'_I don't freaking believe this! My crew leaves me all because of these stupid glasses!.?.! What the hell am I supposed to do!.? I can't do anything with these damn things on my face! They'll just laugh at me!_'

He heaved a shaky sigh as tears finally trickled down his face.

'_No…_' He sniffled, trying his hardest to keep his mental walls from breaking down. '_I'm not gonna cry! I'm Lars Rodriguez! I **never** cry!_'

He wiped his face and stared at his hand. He could see the droplets clearly. His hand was practically dripping in them. His vision started to blur as more tears threatened to fall. His body began to tremble.

"C'mon…" He told himself. "You don't need 'em… Stay calm… Don't cry, don't cry, don't—"

"Lars?"

"Huh!.?"

With a shocked gasp, the shaking brunet looked up and found himself looking at Sam. The blond had a look of genuine concern. With another sniffle, he gave the younger boy a confused look. What was _he_ doing here? Refusing to show any weakness, he gave a small, tearful glare.

"Whaddya want? Are ya gonna get back at me for all the times I busted on ya?" He hissed. "Go ahead. Do your worst. You couldn't possibly make me feel any crummier than I already am. Go ahead and call me four eyes, blindie, geek, and whatever else I called ya. Come on! I can take it!"

He gritted his teeth in desperation. If this kid didn't move in the next five seconds, he was gonna lose it! He could feel the walls cracking with each passing second the blond stood there. Lars kept his glare on the boy for some time until he realized that Sam wasn't going to do anything. Again, he gave him a confused look. Wasn't he going to get his revenge? Wasn't he going to curse him out? Hell, was he gonna say _anything_?

"Well? What're ya waiting for!.? Ain't ya gonna bust me!.?" He demanded. To his surprise, however, Sam shook his head.

"I would never make fun of you, Lars." He answered, stepping forward. "Mind if I sit?"

Without a single word, the brunet shifted to the left, giving the younger teen room to sit down. Sam sat and took off his helmet and gear. After laying them to the side, he gave the other boy a warm smile as he put a hand on his shoulder.

"I know what you're probably feeling right now and trust me, I don't want you to suffer at all."

Lars turned away. "How would _you_ know what I'm feeling?"

Sam sighed. "Because I went through the same thing once."

The taller one snapped his head towards him. "Y-y-you did…?"

The shorter one nodded. "Tell me, when you first started wearing your glasses, did everything seem closer to you than normal?"

"Yeah," Lars answered with his own nod. "I kept tripping and crashing into everything."

"That happens when you first wear glasses. It's just your body's way of adjusting to them. You'll get used to them eventually."

The brunet looked down. "I hope so… I don't even know how long I'm stuck with these things. I feel like such a freak in these… Erm… No offense…" He added with a sigh.

"None taken." The blond waved his right hand dismissively. He kept his other firmly on Lars' shoulder. He soon chuckled at a thought. "Can you believe I crashed into a light pole once?"

Lars gave a shaky laugh. "No way!"

"Yep." The other boy nodded. "I remember it like it was yesterday. I was six at the time. I was riding my tricycle around when I headed towards a light pole. I thought that it was far away so I didn't pay any mind. And then… Well, you get the idea. Thank God I had a helmet on at the time. Otherwise, I would've been in big trouble."

Lars rubbed his eyes as he raised an eyebrow. "A helmet, to ride a _tricycle_?"

Sam shrugged. "My mom's overprotective. You know that."

"Oh yeah… So when _did_ you start wearing glasses anyway?"

"Well, I was nearsighted since birth, so I had glasses for a long time." The younger boy replied. "I remember my mom once told me I was wearing them since I was two."

"Woah…" Lars looked down again. "Fourteen whole years… You'll have those glasses your whole life. Here I am bitching about having mine for a little while…"

"Don't worry about it. I know how you feel. Sometimes, I wish I never had these glasses in the first place. I would get jealous of people that don't have to go through the same thing as I do. I always found myself thinking that if I was old enough to get laser surgery, I would in a heartbeat." Sam glared at the ground. "I'm always getting teased about them. Even when I first went to preschool, the kids were calling me dumb names like 'telescope eyes' and 'old man dink.' It even went on in elementary school. Right up until I passed the fourth grade, it was always four eyes this and geek that. And then, I moved here…"

Lars gulped at that. He felt lower than dirt after hearing that whole thing. Guilt was written all over his face when he realized that he called the boy most of those things and then some. He always pushed around Sam and others just like him because of the glasses they had to wear. He always beat them up for their lunch money and even went so far as to _destroy_ those pour souls' only way to see and interact with the world.

And now that he's gotten a taste of the humiliation and shame one wearing glasses would experience, he found his eyes leaking again. He was alone in the world. His crew deserted him and his family would only laugh at him. There was no way he could ever strike fear into anybody. Not when they could just turn around and tease him about his condition or even worse, actually destroy _his_ glasses! For once in his life, Lars Rodriguez was scared. The thought of being alone and ridiculed just because of a lousy pair of glasses that he _needs_ to see frightened him tremendously.

Before Sam knew it, the brunet was bawling and burying his face in his shirt. The blond was shocked at the action. Not only because he's dreamed about this since he met the bully, but because he never thought he'd live to see the day that _Lars_ of all people would be _crying_. He shook his head and looked down at the older boy with a lustful smirk. He immediately slapped himself mentally. This wasn't the right time to fantasize! Lars needed help!

With a deep breath, he slowly wrapped his arms around the sixteen year-old. He didn't want to scare him. He just wanted him to know that someone was there for him. Lars didn't seem to object though. He was too busy feeling remorse for everything he's done (at least to those in glasses) to care about _who_ was holding him. He was too caught up in everything he now had to face to even move his face from the other's chest. Sam was feeling slightly uncomfortable due to all the tears he was sure were staining his shirt, but he remained sitting there, holding his beloved.

They sat there for what seemed like hours before Lars finally started to calm down. He still let out small sobs every so often, so Sam rubbed his back in an attempt to get him to relax. After a few minutes of this treatment, the brunet sighed comfortably and began to breathe soundly. He had to admit, it wasn't so bad being held like this, even if it was by someone like Squid. He actually let out a shaky smile as he sniffled.

"Feeling better?" Sam finally asked. Lars nodded against his chest before finally looking up.

His eyes widened when he looked at the blond's face. He had to say, puberty has been _very_ kind to Sam. His lightly tanned face was no longer round like it was so many years ago. His sand colored hair was messy from wearing that helmet, but it still looked cute in Lars' eyes. He shifted his view downwards and found himself gaping. If he thought Sam looked cute from behind, he was downright handsome up front! His was thin and slightly muscular, no doubt a result of all the skating and surfing he's done over the years. He had noticed that Sam's chest was hard when his head was against it; not flabby at all like when he was eleven.

He then looked up again and found himself staring at what could be described as the best feature of the blond. His eyes, also magnified by his glasses, were a beautiful sapphire; a strong contrast to Lars' ruby orbs. It felt to the brunet as if those gorgeous blue eyes held the answers of the universe within them. He looked closer for the key; the key to unlocking everything about anything. What's the secret of life? Are we truly alone in the universe? And maybe the most important question of all, who does Sam Dullard love?

As he continued looking into the other boy's eyes, Lars found himself fantasizing about him. He imagined seeing Sam wearing his bathing suit, his beautiful sculpted chest just inches from Lars' own. He was at a private beach in the middle of nowhere, having the boy all to himself. He was his to enjoy and keep from others' prying eyes. This grand specimen that he felt unworthy to be with; his and his alone to do with whatever he pleased.

He felt his cheeks flaring when he went further and envisioned the blond wearing nothing but his glasses. Almost exactly as he came to this world. Lars felt his throat go dry when he realized how…angelic Sam would look with nothing on. This great beauty grown as if by God's own, gracious hands. This pure soul completely untouched by anyone or anything. It was almost as if this blond angel was sent to earth for him and him alone…

"Uhhhh… Lars…?" Sam cut into his fantasy. "You in there?"

"Huh wha…?.?.?" The taller boy shook his head as oxygen finally made its way into his brain. He felt like slapping himself hard for actually _thinking_ all that. Where did _that_ come from!.?.! Sam looked at him strangely.

"Are you feeling ok?"

"Huh?" Lars felt himself going red again when he faced the other boy. He stuttered a bit before finally nodding. "Y-yeah… I'm fine…"

Sam gave him a skeptical look as a thought came to him. Was Lars looking at him with a look of…? The shorter boy shook his head. Yeah right! He smiled at the possibility though. He gave a loving sigh at the thought of both of them confessing their love for each other and riding off into the sunset. He then shrugged. Eh, if nothing happens, at least he was able to look into the older boy's eyes. He saw fire in those red jewels. They were flames of various things. Hate, mischief, revenge, determination, courage; he was sure he even saw a spark of love amongst the fires. He gave a grin.

"What are you so happy about?" Lars suddenly asked, starting to feel low again.

"Nothing." Sam replied with a single shake of the head.

A few minuets of silence passed between the two before the taller one lowered his head in shame.

"I'm sorry…"

The younger one raised an eyebrow at him. "Huh? Why?"

"For everything. The teasing, the laughing, the pranks, everything!" Lars answered, tears falling again. "I shoulda never done any of that stuff! It was way over the line! I'm so sorry, Squid! Please forgive me!"

"Lars! It's ok!" Sam tried to calm him down. "I forgive you!"

The broken brunet looked up with a sparkle in his dried, red eyes. The blond noticed that it seemed to be a spark of hope. With another sob, he embraced Sam again and cried into his shoulder. Overcome with shock at the sudden change in the bully, the shorter boy did the only thing he could think of. He held him close to him and patted him on the back.

"Come on, Lars. It's alright." He whispered gently. He blinked as an idea formed in his mind. "Hey, I know what I can do for you!"

"What?" Lars asked, pulling away. "Whaddya mean?"

To that, Sam smiled. "I'm gonna help you get used to your glasses!"

"Help me get used to my glasses…?" The blond nodded. The brunet gulped. "I dunno…I mean, if anybody sees me—"

"They'll act normally." Sam interrupted. "Just hang out with me for a few days. I guarantee that you'll be able to do anything with no problem!"

"But I—"

"Please Lars?" Sam said, holding his hands in a begging fashion. "I don't want you to be lonely or bummed."

Lars gave him a strange look. "What makes ya think I'd be lonely and bummed?"

The younger boy gave him a look that yelled "Duh!" "Your crew left you and you've been crying for the last—" He looked at his watch. "—half hour."

The taller boy's eyes widened. "It was _that_ long?" Sam nodded, causing him to put on an irritated look. He then huffed in defeat. "Alright, alright. I'll hang with ya for awhile." A smile crept on the blond's face, which he noticed immediately. "_But_, if I'm still tripping and crap after a few days, you're gonna get it. Got it?"

Sam only grinned at that. He couldn't care less if Lars beat him to a bloody pulp. He was going to get to hang out with him! It took everything he had not to jump for joy and run around the cul-de-sac, screaming like a maniac. Regaining his composure, he simply nodded and extended his hand.

"Shake on it."

Mentally wondering what he was getting himself into, he grabbed the other boy's hand and shook. For a brief moment it felt like electricity was shooting between them. Although they had hugged not once, but twice, it still felt foreign for either of them to do a simple gesture like shaking hands. While Lars was wondering what that feeling was, Sam was doing all he can to avoid fainting right then and there.

Soon, both boys felt they were holding _way_ too long and let go. They both looked at their hands curiously, the warmth from the other still remaining. They then looked at each other and quickly turned away, their faces flushed. They chuckled bashfully as they tried to save face. They both allowed their faces to return to normal before clearing their throats and turning to each other.

"So I'll see ya tomorrow then?" Lars asked, shuffling his feet. "I don't think I'm in a good enough mood to go out today." With a broad smile on his face, Sam nodded.

"Yeah! It's a date!"

Lars blinked and looked at him strangely. The shorter boy seemed a little _too_ happy… He was about to comment but instead shook his head before returning the blond's smile.

"Yeah, see ya." He turned to go up the stairs. Sam watched him the whole time before he stopped his ascent. "Oh, and Squid?"

"Yeah?" Sam asked. Lars turned towards him, still keeping that smile.

"Thanks."

The blond gave him a thumbs-up. "Don't mention it."

The brunet nodded before continuing until he was inside the house. Once Sam was sure he was gone, he gleefully scooped up his protective gear and skated home with the biggest, most joyous grin on his face. It was clear that he anticipated the next day greatly. It was like nothing he's ever felt before. It felt like he was going to burst from all the excitement he felt. He went to sleep that evening with that same toothy smile.

Tomorrow was gonna be great!


	7. Lars and Sam’s Good Day

Two Extra Eyes

Chapter Seven

Lars and Sam's Good Day

The whole night was a blur to Lars. He barely remembered doing anything between the time he and Sam agreed to meet and when he went to bed. He couldn't watch TV or listen to music. He didn't even hear Otto and Twister's insults during dinner or paid any attention to his parents yelling at them. It was as if some strange force was controlling his actions while his mind was left to wander.

The whole time, his mind was on Sam. That whole conversation was still fresh in his memory. He remembered every single detail. Sam telling him about his experiences as a kid, feeling massively guilty for all the wrongs he's done to people that wears glasses, and of course, embracing the blond and having those weird thoughts about him.

It was that last part that freaked him out. Why on earth would he think about Sam _that_ way!.?.! It was just impossible! He couldn't be _falling_ for him, could he?.! …Well, Lars had to admit, it felt great to hold the shorter boy like that. He felt so warm when he hugged him for solace. And hearing his heartbeat brought a small smile to him amongst the tears. And who could forget when he looked into those beautiful, electric blue eyes? Lars sighed at the recollection. Sam was really…

Eyes widening, he caught himself and slapped himself (quite hard mind you). Thankfully, he was lying in bed at the moment. He wiped his face and found it dripping with sweat. He was panting as he tried to recollect himself. He just woke up from the weirdest dream ever. In it, he and Sam were doing all sorts of things together. Skating, riding their bikes through the forest, and surfing among other things. Both boys were laughing merrily as they went on their way. It felt like nothing could ever separate them!

By the end of the day, they were walking along the beach hand in hand when Sam tripped, bringing Lars down with him. When they sat up, they both looked at each other and busted out laughing. Soon, they stopped and looked into each other's eyes as they slowly came in for a passionate kiss. They both stared into the other's soul, watching the flames get extinguished by the water and the flames evaporating the water, creating a grand smokescreen of affection. Just before their lips could meet, Lars woke up with a gasp as if he just woke from a nightmare. That dream just left him confused in the worst way possible. And to top it all off, everything was so blurry! He put on an irritated glower when he remembered his situation.

With a snarl, the brunet got up and snatched up his glasses. After the world came back into focus, he reached over for his hat when his stomach growled. Holding his bare stomach and ignoring the fact that he was only in his boxers, he stumbled out of the room and slouched over to the kitchen. He was looking down as he willed his stomach to calm down. He was rubbing his belly as he walked into the kitchen. He heard the blessed sound of cooking and dishes being placed. Drool formed when he smelled eggs, pancakes, and sausage being made. He closed his eyes as he allowed the different scents to fill his senses.

"Hmmm… Mom, that smells great." He said hungrily as he pulled his head up. "When will it be—AHHHHH!.!.!"

He shrank back against the wall, clutching his heart when he saw, not his mother, but _Sam_ cooking and setting the table! He was a yellow and orange blur as he ran back and forth between the table, refrigerator, toaster, stove, sink, and cupboard. The dishes, utensils, and napkins were placed perfectly and at near lightning speed. When the brunet finally caught his breath, he glared at the blond.

"What the hell are ya doing in my house!.?.!" He roared. Instantly, Sam stopped and turned to him with a wide grin on his face.

"Why good morning, Lars! How are you…this…morning…?" He trailed off as he opened his eyes.

His pupils shrank to nearly nothing when he noticed his crush standing there in just his boxers, hat, and glasses. He was just one article of clothing away from being naked! Sam stood there, mouth agape as he drank in the sight of the older boy. Drool poured out of his mouth like a waterfall while his cheeks had a tinge of red on them. Lars blinked at the younger boy.

"What's your deal, Squid…?"

That was when he looked down. Eyes wide and with a squeak of shock, he covered himself with his arms and jumped behind a large potted plant. Deprived of the treasured sight, Sam blinked and wiped his face. He put on a totally placid face as his heart tried to stop its rumba-like beating.

"Please excuse me for a moment." He said calmly as he turned off the stove. As he nodded, Lars couldn't help but sense a hint of jubilation in his voice. Sam took a deep breath as he walked into the living room.

"YES, YES, YES!.!.!" He cheered as he jumped up and down. "WAHOO!.!.! YEAH BABY YEAH!.!.! THANK YOU, THANK YOU SO MUCH!.!.!"

Lars had a freaked out look on his face as Sam screamed in what could only be described as pure, glorious happiness. He blinked at the noise the boy made for some time before finally sighing and shaking his head. He simply didn't want to know. Cursing himself for showing weakness in front of the blond, he made his way back to his room to change.

By the time the brunet was decent and had his teeth brushed, Sam had finally regained his composure. He walked back into the kitchen just as Lars arrived, fully dressed this time. The blond put on a disappointed look when he noticed the older boy's features covered up by that heinous purple shirt. At the same time though, he was thankful that Lars decided to get dressed. There was no way he could've gotten Lars out of the door if he was freaking him out with his gawking and screams of admiration. Sam shook his head at that thought.

'_I've been hanging around Otto and Twist **way** too long…_' He gave an inwardly chuckle at that. '_Those two must've affected my hormones somehow…_' He then glared at whatever caused that thought to surface. '_But it was **Lars**, who was** nearly naked!** Whaddya expect me to do?.! Just act like he's not the sexy god he is!.?.!_'

He was about to carry this further when he noticed Lars looking at him strangely. Blushing and clearing his throat, he hurriedly went back to cooking. After a few moments, he placed a fair amount of scrambled eggs, two pancakes, and three sausages on the plates, which were situated across from each other. Sam also put some pieces of toast on a plate between them, as well as butter and jelly. After pouring some orange juice into the glasses, he sat down and stuffed part of a napkin down his shirt. As he prepared to eat, he looked up and saw Lars, who still had that strange look of confusion on his face. Giving him a gentle smile, Sam gestured towards the empty seat in front of him.

"Well? Sit down. You don't want your breakfast to get cold, do you?"

Blinking, the brunet moved to the table and sat. Still finding it hard to believe that Sam did this, he grabbed his fork and knife and slowly started to eat. Meanwhile, Sam was eating happily. His grin was evident, even while he chewed. It brought him joy to sit there, eating with his crush. It was almost as if it was a date. And catching the older boy in his underwear was the icing on the cake. Sam was in Heaven.

Soon, he looked up and noticed how slow Lars was eating.

"Are you alright?" He asked, making him lift up his head in shock. "I hope the food's not bad." He put on a frown, which Lars immediately noticed.

"Erm… No, the food's fine!" The brunet replied quickly, not wanting to insult him. He took several bites of his eggs to prove his point. "It's just that it's kinda weird to see ya here. Where's my mom and dad at? And…" He stayed silent as if trying to hear something. However, no sound passed through their ears aside from birds chirping outside. "Where are Rocket Dork and the shrimp? They're usually doing it by now."

Sam chuckled in a mixture of nervousness and mischievousness. "Well you see I, shall we say, _persuaded_ Otto and Twister to go out earlier than usual today."

°°Flashback°°

_"Out, out, out!.!.!" Sam's voice was heard yelling as the front door of the house was thrown open. He then walked out, dragging Otto and Twister, who were barely dressed, by the arm. The two redheads were struggling against the blond's grip. Surprisingly, Sam was holding them tight and didn't seem to be letting up. It was a well known fact that Otto and Twister were way stronger than him. If anyone actually saw this scene, the two lovers would be **very** embarrassed._

_"Whaddya think you're doing, Squid!.?.!" Otto demanded._

_"Yeah! This is **my** house!" Twister agreed. "Let go already!"_

_"Not a chance! This is my opportunity to be with my future husband and you two aren't going to ruin it!" Sam stood them up and brought his right foot back. "So take a hike!"_

_With that, his foot collided with both of their backsides and the couple was punted several feet in the air. They both landed on the street. Standing and rubbing their sore butts, they looked on in confusion as the blond dusted his hands off before shutting the front door. Blinking, they turned to each other._

_"So, we do it at your place?" Twister asked. Otto smirked at him as he grabbed his hand._

_"But of course!"_

_They both giggled as they ran to the shorter redhead's house._

°°End Flashback°°

Lars sat there, gaping at Sam in astonishment. He just did what the brunet had _always_ wished he could do ever since Otto and Twister got together!

"You didn't!" He finally shouted with a wide grin. Sam gave him a bashful smile.

"Well, yeah I did…" He said with a chuckle.

"Yes!.!.!" Lars pumped his fist as he laughed. "Oh man! I wish I was up for _that_! I woulda grabbed the little brat's camera and taped every moment! Tchahahahahaha!.!.!"

He had to admit, Sam would make a fine Laser! …Well, if Lars was still one… But that didn't matter anymore! Those three could jump off a cliff for all he cared! Getting _them_ out of his mind, he turned to Sam.

"Next time ya do something like that, wake me up first, will ya? I wanna see the looks on their faces!" He laughed again. Sam happily joined in. The two carried on for a few moments before the younger one spoke.

"As for your parents, they were leaving when I came over. They told me to help myself to anything in the kitchen. So after I took care of Otto and Twister, I decided to make us some breakfast." He grinned.

"Heh, ya didn't have to."

"I wanted to Lars." Sam said truthfully. He looked down with a blush on his face. "I'd do anything to make you happy…" He added under his breath. Lars raised an eyebrow at him. He had heard that perfectly. Just what was _that_ supposed to mean!.?

Ignoring that moment of weirdness, the two went back to eating. In next to no time at all, they cleaned their plates down to the very last crumb. Nearly all of the butter and jelly was used up in the boys' toast. As Sam washed the dishes, Lars was patting his belly with a satisfied smile.

"Man Squid, that was awesome!" He complimented. "Where'd ya learn to cook like that!.?"

Sam blushed at that and stuttered. "W-w-w-well, I took a c-c-cooking class l-l-last year…" He chuckled bashfully.

The truth was he begged his mother to teach him how to cook on the off chance he ever got this close to his crush. Giving her son a strange look, Paula decided to enroll him in her two week cooking course. _Big_ mistake. Every time they attempted to cook even the simplest dish, some kind of disaster would occur. For example, they tried to cook a pizza three days into the course. Long story short, the whole place filled up with dough. To this day, the house _still_ reeks of yeast! A couple of times, the dish would be completed perfectly, but then it would catch on fire. Until just a week ago, Sam was considered a grade A health hazard. As it turned out, the only thing he _can_ cook right is breakfast.

While Sam dried his hands, Lars stood and stretched.

"Well that was the best breakfast I've had in a long time." He groaned as he stretched his back. The blond couldn't help but grin toothily at the comment. "So what are we supposed to do to get me used to these things on my face?"

"Hmmm?" Sam blinked and shook his head. "Oh right! Ummm…" He scratched his head in confusion. He didn't think he'd actually get this far, but there was no turning back now. "Maybe we can work on your coordination. How about we go to Mad Town?"

"Can't."

The lighter skinned boy raised an eyebrow. "Why?"

Lars shrugged. "Got banned for a week. Don't ask." He added when he saw the other's strange look. "Just don't."

"Ok…" Sam said weirdly. He held his chin as he tried to think of something. He soon snapped his fingers and turned to him with a grin. "How about we go surfing?.!"

"S-s-s-surfing…?" The taller one gulped. The blond nodded.

"Yeah! If we can't go to Mad Town, we might as well do the next best thing. If we do some basic moves and drills, you should be able to improve both your coordination and ability to judge distances."

Lars nodded shakily. The memory of what happened with his former gang three days ago at the beach haunted him. As soon as he gets in the water, he won't be able to see a thing. Then he'll get destroyed by the merciless waves. He was shaking at the thought, which Sam noticed immediately. He quickly ran around the table and grabbed the brunet's shoulders.

"Are you ok!.?" He asked, clearly scared for him.

"Huh?" Lars blinked and shook his head. He then gave Sam a glower. "Yeah, I'm fine Squid! Let's go already!"

He stormed over to his room to grab his surfboard. As he went down the hall, Sam followed his movements with a curious look that was full of worry. Lars was spooked, pure and simple. But of what? He certainly couldn't be scared of _surfing_, could he? If anyone, the blond one should be afraid of surfing! He put on a determined look. Whatever Lars' deal was, he was going to help him out! Anything to prove himself to the brunet!

Lars soon reemerged, carrying his surfboard under his arm. He was also wearing his swimming trunks instead of his usual shorts. That was when Sam realized a very important fact. They were going to the _beach_, so he'd be able to see Lars' strong chest again! It took everything he had not to grin at the revelation. Again, the brunet gave him a strange look, to which Sam made up an excuse. Again wondering what he was getting himself into, he left the house with the other boy. After stopping at Sam's place to grab his own board and swimming trunks, they left to the beach.

During the walk down the steep hill, Lars nearly tripped on cracks in the sidewalks or garden hoses, as well as other things. Thankfully, Sam was there to catch him every time. Whenever he noticed Lars losing his balance, he instinctively dropped his board and grabbed his arm. A couple of times, he even put his arms around the older boy's waist. In those situations, the two would look at each other, then turn away with strong blushes on their faces before straightening up, grabbing their boards, and going on their way again.

The reason for his tripping was of course due to his glasses, but also because he was busy thinking. Throughout the entire trip, he prayed to himself that no one he knew would be at the beach. He didn't want to deal with his former crew nor listen to Otto and Twister bust on him. It would've been way too embarrassing, especially if they asked him what he was doing with _Squid_. Also, he wished for the whole place to be full of shoobies. If the beach was full of tourists, he wouldn't have to worry about making a complete fool of himself in front of the blond.

Speaking of whom, why'd he care about what this kid would say about him? He could just beat him to kingdom come anytime he wanted to. In fact, why was he hanging around him in the first place? And why was he smiling so much for? Did he actually _want_ to be seen with this twerp? Lars shrugged. Better than tripping all over the house and being alone. Besides, he made breakfast for him. None of his other friends would ever do that for him. He smiled as he looked at Sam. It seemed that he had the boy figured out all wrong. Despite the fact he was one of the dorks that beats him in most hockey matches, he actually wasn't so bad to hang out with. He couldn't believe what he was thinking, but Sam was kinda cool a-a-and cute and…

"Well, here we are!" Sam called, jarring Lars from his thoughts. The brunet blinked and sighed, glad that he wasn't able to finish that final thought. He had no idea where it came from and just wanted to stop thinking about the subject.

The pair looked around themselves. They were standing at the beginning of the beach. Behind them stood Mad Town, which was full of its usual activity. Unfortunately for Lars, there wasn't a single shoobie in sight on the beach. In fact, save for Tice the lifeguard, they practically had the whole place to themselves. He inwardly cursed his bad luck. He'd have to actually go through with this. He _could_ back out and go home, but he felt he owed Sam for that delicious breakfast, so he stayed. Thankfully, the rest of the twerps and his former crew weren't around to see him. That knowledge took some of the pressure off him.

"C'mon." Sam said, grabbing his hand.

"Hey!" Lars yelped when he felt himself being pulled towards the rental shop under the Shore Shack. "Where are ya taking me now?"

The blond looked back with a smile. "Well, we gotta secure our clothes while we surf, right?"

"Uhhh… Right…" The brunet blinked at him.

Normally, he'd put his shirt, shoes, change of shorts, and anything he might be carrying in a plastic shopping bag and leave it alone. He knew that no one would _dare_ try to steal from him or any of the Lasers. …But now that he wasn't even in the gang anymore, would his stuff be safe?

"So we're gonna get you a locker to put your stuff in! Don't worry; Mr. Rocket won't have any problems with it." He added when Lars tried to resist.

Sighing sadly, he allowed the blond to drag him to the rental shop. Strangely, it was open despite the fact that no one was around. Ignoring this fact, the duo entered the back room, which was used for storage and apparently for changing. At one end of the room were several shelves full of boxes. Presumably, there were spare skates, shoes, and other kinds of gear in them. On the other side were a couple of benches. Behind them were the lockers, which were red in color. They looked like the kind you'd find in a school's changing room. A few of them were marked with the names of Sam and his friends.

The teens walked over to the benches and leaned their boards against the wall. Facing away from each other, they peeled off their shirts and took off their shoes and socks. When Lars was finished, he opened the locker closest to him (which was Twister's) and put away his clothes, wallet, and keys. After closing it, he turned to see a _very_ welcome sight.

Sam stood before him, wearing just his shorts and glasses. He looked just as Lars had envisioned. His chest was hard and tanned evenly unlike so many years ago. His stomach was so flat and smooth, you can balance a house of cards on it and it would never tumble even the slightest! In other words, he was beautiful. The brunet's face went red while his jaw hung off his face. It took everything he had not to take him into his arms.

Sam, meanwhile, was grinning toothily. He didn't think that Lars would react so strongly to seeing him without a shirt on. The brunet was clearly impressed, either by the fact that he's improved in looks over the years or that he was good-looking was hard to tell. He blinked when he realized that maybe he had a chance with his crush after all. His grin widened.

'_Wait until I tell Reggie **this**!_' He thought, laughing inwardly. It'd feel so good to finally prove them all wrong. Humming a happy tune to himself, he took a good look at the older boy's gaping expression before slamming his locker door shut. The sound brought Lars back to reality. He shook his head in confusion.

"Huh? What happened…?" He said, wiping the drool off his mouth.

"C'mon!" Sam shouted, grabbing his hand as he ran past him. "We got waves to catch!" He grabbed his board.

"Woah!" The brunet yelped, barely grabbing his own surfboard.

The blond dragged Lars out of the rental shop and through the beach. Ignoring the burning sand and the other boy's pained shouts, he kept running until he was at the shoreline. Finally letting go of the panting brunet, Sam stuck the tail end of his board in the sand and admired the waves. When Lars caught his breath, he dropped his board and stood up. His body was reddened due to the hot sand. He was about to yell at the blond when he gasped.

The waves looked crisp and pristine. They were also tall and frequent, clear signs of a swell. Lars would be out there faster than a fish out of water. …If he wasn't terrified. The memory of the first time he went surfing with his glasses on came back in full force. He gulped at the huge swell. He _really_ wanted to back out of this, but he was compelled to stay. He wasn't quite sure if it was because he owed Sam or because he had the strangest desire to see water drip from those tanned abs. Eyes widening again, he shook his head to rid himself of the blush he was getting.

Sam on the other hand was surprisingly excited at all the glassy waves. He didn't know what came over him. Normally, he'd be afraid in situations like this although he's become a much better surfer over the years. This time, however, he was strangely calm, but there was something more. It felt like a flame was burning inside him and if he didn't get in that water as soon as possible, he'd turn to a pile of ashes. He smiled as he idly wondered if this is what Otto, Twister, and Reggie feel just before they go surfing. But still, the reason for this excitement eluded him.

That was when he faced Lars. The sight of the taller boy standing beside him shirtless gave him a warm feeling inside (and a stiff feeling somewhere _else_). Immediately, he became even more anxious. He blinked when he realized the reason for his excitement was because he was with Lars. The very presence of the brunet was enough to give him the strength to do anything. He grinned as he picked up his huge surfboard.

"Let's get started!" He said, running into the water. He got on the board and paddled out. Lars blinked after him and picked up his board.

"Yo! Wait for me, Squid!" He shouted, following. When he got on his board, he paddled after the blond.

As he started to catch up to Sam, water droplets from the waves rained on his glasses, obstructing his view slightly. He gritted his teeth as he fought to see the boy in front of him. Things were becoming blurry fast as more and more droplets splashed. After paddling over a small wave, he shook his head in an attempt to remove the water. That didn't help much. The drops just moved in random directions, causing lines and streaks to appear, making it even harder to see.

"Gah!" He cursed. "Damn water…"

"Hey Lars!" Sam called, looking back. "Are you alright?"

"Ugh…" The brunet shook his head again and faced the dot in front of him. "Yeah!" He answered with an unsure tone. Sam gave him a curious look when a shadow loomed over him. He turned and saw a huge wave approaching.

"Ok! Here we go!" He said, turning his board around.

The wave soon picked up his board. He quickly stood up and guided the board along the bottom of it, allowing him to coast along the surface of the water before moving upwards into the crest of the wave. He started to shift his weight around, allowing him to do some figure eights in the wave. That was when he saw Lars, who had yet to sit on his board. Eyes widening, he cupped his hands over his mouth.

"Lars! Get on your board!"

"Wha?.?.?" Lars looked around himself, but it was useless. The water completely overtook his glasses. "Wh-where's the wave!.?" He panicked. He moved his hands in front of him, trying to figure out where to move, but that was difficult when the world resembled a bunch of melted wax.

"It's in front of you!" Sam shouted. "Get on your board before the wave—"

°SPLASH!.!.!°

"—Hits you…" He finished with a cringe.

The wave had just slammed into Lars, bringing him under. Sam kicked out, just barely avoiding wiping out himself, and paddled over to where Lars' board was floating. When he reached the green board, the brunet resurfaced and spat out a stream of water.

"You ok, Lars?" The blond asked as Lars got on his board…backwards.

"Hell no!" The other boy shouted. He took off his glasses and soaked them in the water. After rinsing them, he put them back on. There were still some streaks, but at least he was able to see. He turned towards Sam and sighed, bowing his head when he saw the sad expression on his face. "Sorry Squid… I shoulda said something before. I can't see anything when water gets in my lenses."

Sam raised an eyebrow. "Didn't you ask your mom to get you waterproof lenses?"

Lars glared at him. "_Waterproof lenses!.?.!_"

The shorter boy gulped. "Y-y-yeah… After my very first time surfing, I got my mom to take my glasses and get them fixed so that they can be worn in water."

The brunet slapped his head in exasperation. "And I bet it's mad expensive to get mine fixed, huh?"

"Most likely yeah." Sam nodded. Lars growled in response. The blond put a hand to his chin. There had to be some way to help out his crush. His eyes brightened as he snapped his fingers. "I got it!"

"What?" Lars asked, raising an eyebrow.

"We can take you to get some sports goggles for when you're out here!"

"Oh yeah?" The other boy gave him a skeptical look. "Where?"

"Follow me!"

With that, Sam grabbed Lars' hand and paddled with his other hand so fast, you'd think he was a motorboat in a past life! When they got back ashore, the blond pulled him back into the changing room. After getting into their normal clothes (and getting some tissues for Sam's strangely bloody nose), the younger boy dragged Lars up the hill. The whole trip, the brunet wondered where he got so much energy from. He also wondered why he wasn't suffering from an asthma attack.

In reality, however, Sam _was_ feeling a bit lightheaded, not to mention his breathing quickened considerably. His body felt heavy as they neared the peak of the hill. When they finally reached the top, Sam knelt, let go of Lars' hand, and desperately grabbed his sports inhaler. Lars gave him a look of extreme worry as he watched the boy take several puffs.

"Squid!" He yelled, kneeling beside him. He put his hand on the other's back and rubbed it. "You alright!.?"

Sam took several deep breaths before finally letting go of his inhaler. "Y-y-yeah… I'm fine…" He panted. "Just…need to…catch…my breath…"

"Whew…" The brunet sighed with relief. He then glared at him. "Don't you ever do that again! What if ya didn't have your inhaler with ya!.? Ya coulda died or something! Promise me!"

"O-o-o-ok Lars…" The blond said, looking down. Instinctively, Lars hugged the other boy and held him close to him.

"Sorry Squid, but ya had me worried there for a minute."

Sam was blushing profusely. He was trying his best not to grin against the other's chest. Lars was actually worried about _him_! He returned the embrace happily. He didn't want the moment to end, but eventually Lars questioned his actions and let go of him as if he was a prickly cactus. He cleared his throat and stood up. There was a bit of a blush on his face as he helped Sam up.

"Ok. We're here. What now?"

"Huh? Oh yeah!" Sam took his hand again and guided him towards his house. "My mom should be home. We can ask her to take us."

Lars blinked at him. "Take us where?"

The blond only smirked at him. "You'll see."

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

After _much_ begging and arguing, Sam got his mother to drive him and Lars to their destination. Paula gave a smile when she saw the two boys sitting in the backseat. Sam had told her months ago that he was in love with the brunet. She idly wondered if they got together yet. That was answered though when she saw them sitting at opposite ends of the car. Lars was looking out the window deep in thought. He occasionally looked in Sam's direction before looking out the window again. Sam on the other hand, kept his eyes on the older boy the entire time. The only time he looked away was whenever Lars caught his stare.

Paula inwardly giggled at the sight as she pulled out of the driveway and drove off. If they ever admitted their feelings for the other, they'd make a really cute couple. At least they wouldn't be as…_frisky_ as Otto and Twister are. There was no way she could stand _that_ happening in her house. If anything, she'd rent them a hotel room and let them settle their hormones _there_. She smiled at the reflection of her son in the rearview mirror. She had a feeling they'd be together a very long time if not forever. She just hoped his crush would take good care of him. She was well aware of his reputation after all. But by the looks of things, he was a nice boy. When he wasn't around those three hooligans, that is.

Soon, they got on the highway. Switching her view between the mirror and the road, she noticed Lars' glasses. It was amazing how similar they looked to Sam's. It was almost as if they were brothers. She had heard from Sandy that the brunet was wearing glasses to treat his tired eyes, but she never told her how he wound up with _those_ glasses. You'd think if he had a choice, he'd pick something different for his frames.

She shrugged as she neared their exit. Maybe he really _did_ love Sam so much he decided to wear the exact same glasses as he does. …That or he was forced into it. Most likely the latter. After all, Sandy also told her that Otto and Twister came with them. They probably pulled some kind of prank. She silently thanked the two redheads as she pulled into a huge parking lot. She thanked them for bringing the two boys together. For giving Sam a chance to interact with the boy of his dreams and to confess his feelings. As she parked the car and turned off the ignition, she hoped that her son wouldn't waste this opportunity. He _did_ seem to be off to a good start though.

Everyone got out of the car and looked at where Sam wanted to go. Lars turned to his blond companion and raised an eyebrow at him.

"Wal-Mart? You brought us to _Wal-Mart_?"

"Yep!" Sam gave him a grin. "There's an optometry place in there that should have what we're looking for. Come on."

The blond walked on ahead. Shrugging at each other, Lars and Paula followed closely. When they got inside, the cool air conditioning gave the trio some relief from the blazing heat outside. Grabbing his hand for the millionth time that day, Sam dragged Lars over to the optometry department which was close to the exit. It was a little alcove that had various frames decorating the walls. In the front of it were many eye care products ranging from glasses cleaners to cleaning cloths to sunglass attachments. Lars walked inside to have a look around. Sam was about to follow when Paula stopped him.

"Sammy," She whispered. "Are you sure about this?"

"About what, Mom?" He turned to her with a strange look.

"I mean Lars."

"Oh don't worry Mom." He gave her a reassuring look. "Things'll work out. You'll see."

"If you say so, Sammy." She said, letting Sam walk over to Lars. She sighed to herself. "I just hope you know what you're doing."

As she walked in and joined the boys, a tall man in a white lab coat approached them.

"Hello there!" He greeted. "What can I do for you?"

"We're looking for some sports goggles for my friend here." Sam replied, gesturing to Lars.

"Ah, I'm afraid they can't be bought causally." The man said, turning to Lars. "In order to make a pair of goggles, we'll have to take your glasses and look at their lenses. After that, we can make you a pair in no time at all."

The brunet looked at Sam as if questioning what he should do. The blond nodded at him. Lars returned the nod before turning back to the man.

"Alright." He said, taking off his glasses. "Do what ya gotta do." He handed them over to the man.

"Very well." The man took the glasses and walked towards a back room. "They should be ready in about an hour."

With that, he closed the door to the room, leaving the trio alone.

"So what do we do til then?" Sam asked.

"There's not much _I_ can do." Lars answered with a shrug. "I can't see a foot in front of me without my glasses on, remember?"

"Oh yeah…" The blond snapped his fingers. "Then I'll guide you around while we wait for your goggles to be ready!"

Lars chuckled. "What? You're gonna be my seeing eye Squid?"

Sam grinned at the joke. "Yeah! Why not?"

"Meh, better than sitting here bored to death." The brunet held out his hand. "Ok, take me away."

"Glad to." He said with a sultry voice. Both he and Lars blushed when they felt Paula's eyes on them. They both gave the woman a _very_ unconvincing grin. Or at least Sam did. Lars was smiling at a picture of a blonde woman wearing glasses. Paula rolled her eyes.

"Come on. I have to buy some things anyway." She said, walking out of the area. "And I need some big strong men to help me carry them all."

"Hey! I'm handicapped! Don't I get any kind of a break!.?" Lars joked.

"Believe me, I don't think she'd care even if you had a broken leg." Sam said, taking his hand.

For the first time, he looked at the right person as he gave the shorter boy a weirded out look.

"And she's supposed to be overprotective?"

Sam shrugged. "Not when it comes to shopping apparently."

"Terrific…" Lars slapped his head as the blond pulled him towards Paula.

And so, the trio shopped around the store. They bought all sorts of things. Sun hats, shirts, pants, dresses, and food (at discount prices no doubt!). They even got the new Harry Potter book and some video games. Thankfully, they got a cart to carry it all in. The whole time, Sam had a huge grin on his face. The thought holding the hand of a helpless Lars and guiding him around was so cute and yet so sweet that several times, he busted out laughing. When everyone around him, including Lars, stared at him strangely, he just cleared his throat and moved on.

A blush was on his face the whole time. He simply _loved_ pulling his crush around. The feeling of Lars' hand clasped around his own was simply electrifying. Many times he felt he could faint at the contact. Of course, in most of those instances, Lars wound up crashing into a display or a shelf. As soon as he recovered from the collision, he would hiss at Sam, who immediately apologized, only to bump the brunet into something else and repeat the process.

By the time the hour was up, Lars had bruises on his arms and a splitting headache, not to mention he was dizzy. He was grateful when the blond took him back to the optometry department. The man that assisted them earlier was waiting with Lars' glasses in hand. He was also holding what appeared to be a case of sorts. He handed the boy his glasses. Lars hurriedly put them back on. When everything came back into focus, he backed away from Sam and glared at him.

"Never again, Squid! Ya hear me!.? Never again!"

"I said sorry, didn't I!.?.!" Sam shot back.

"Like I care! I'm not going through that ever again!"

"Oh yeah!.?"

"Yeah!"

As they argued, the man in the lab coat walked over to Paula, who had a tearful smile on her face.

"Erm… Shouldn't we break them up?" The former asked.

"There's no need. They're just having a lovers' spat." The latter replied.

"Ohhhhh…" The man nodded, turning towards the boys.

"How about next time, I yank _your_ glasses off your face and drag _you_ around the store for an hour? How would ya like _that_, huh!.?.!" Lars roared.

"Actually, that'd be just heavenly…" Sam said lovingly. He took off his glasses and handed them towards his crush. "Can we do that right now?"

"…" Blushing and blinking in confusion, the taller boy shook his head and turned to the (what he presumed to be) doctor. "So are my goggles ready?"

The doctor nodded. "Yes. They're right here." He said, presenting the case to Lars. The brunet took it and opened it. Inside was a pair of clear goggles. Stuck to it was a purple band.

'_Hmmm… Nice style. Let's see if they work._' He thought as he took off his glasses and replaced them with the goggles. He blinked and smiled as everything came into focus. Sam pumped his fist in triumph.

"Yes! I can still see!" Lars shouted. He then held his chin. "I wonder if it's really—"

°SPLASH!°

He spat out water. "—Waterproof…" Dripping wet, he glared at the laughing adults. They only pointed at Sam, who had a guilty look on his face. "Did you just do what I think you did?"

"Maybe." The blond said with a devilish smirk as he pulled out another water balloon. Lars gritted his teeth.

"Squid, when I get through with you, I'm gonna…!" He trailed off when he realized that he could still see. There weren't any streaks or droplets. The water just slid right off! "Hey! It really works! Even if I get wet, I can still—"

°SPLASH!°

"—See…" Again, he glared at Sam, who only laughed. Lars growled and ran towards him. "Squid!.!.!" Sam looked up and gasped.

"Yipe!" He yelped as he ran for it. Lars gave chase, following him all over the department.

"Squid! You better pray I don't catch you 'cause you won't live long enough to even feel pain!"

The shorter boy could only keep up his laughter as the chase continued. Sam smirked as he swerved around the many chairs in the area. He looked back and marveled at how Lars followed his movements perfectly. He didn't even crash once. The blond then made a sharp left turn at a wall and kept moving. Lars' eyes widened then turned into a glower as he skidded in order to drift into a left turn. Thankfully for Paula and the doctor, the maneuver worked. The brunet cleared the wall perfectly and finally caught up to Sam. He managed to corner his prey. Sam was still smiling even as Lars, bent on destroying the boy, crept ever closer.

"Any last words, Squid?" He growled out.

"Yes." Sam answered, sticking out his hand. "Congratulations!"

Lars stopped his advance and gave him a confused look. "Wha?.?.?"

Grinning, the other boy took his hand and shook. "You did it!"

"Uhhh… Did what?"

"You managed to keep up with me despite me weaving and bobbing like that!"

"So?"

"So you mastered your coordination!"

Lars' eyes brightened at that. "Hey that's right! I guess I did!"

"Yep!"

"Yes! Thanks a lot Squid!" Lars shouted, giving the other boy a bear hug.

"Ack!"

"I couldn't have done it without ya!" The brunet continued, shaking the blond like a rag doll. "Thank you so much!"

Meanwhile, Sam was getting blue in the face. He was struggling to breathe.

"Lars…! Air…! Must breathe to live…!" He sputtered.

"Huh?" Lars blinked and looked down. "Oh!" He dropped Sam, who greedily took in air. "Sorry about that! You ok?"

"Ugh… Yeah, I'm fine…" He said, standing up.

After the blond caught his breath, the trio paid for the sports goggles and left to pay for everything else they bought. Lars no longer tripped and bumped into everything in his path, so there was no need for him to lean on Sam or rely on him to catch him. Naturally, Sam was bummed by this development, but soon shrugged it off. After all, the only thing that mattered to him was Lars' happiness, and as long as he was able to see and be happy, he didn't care if he couldn't hold his beloved for a small moment.

Once they got everything packed in the car, they left for Ocean Shores. During the entire ride, Lars couldn't stop looking at Sam with a wide grin. It was clear that he was stoked and joyous at the acquisition of the sports goggles. They looked great and he was able to see, even after being soaked in water! He grinned in anticipation. He couldn't wait to go to the beach and truly test 'em out! He really had to pay back the blond for all his kindness.

But how?

He shrugged. He'll figure it out soon enough. In the meantime, he really wanted to be close to the younger boy. He quickly unbuckled his seatbelt and scooted over until he was sitting next to Sam, who was looking out the window. Sam felt the weight shift and looked to his right. He grinned when he saw Lars next to him.

"Hey, I hope ya don't mind me sitting here." He said as he buckled the middle seatbelt around his waist. Sam blushed and stuttered.

"N-n-n-not a-a-a-at all…" He replied. "B-b-b-be my guest…"

"Cool." Lars simply said, leaning back. Sam's face was completely red. His crush was actually sitting _next_ to him! It took everything he had not to scream for joy. Paula looked back and smirked at them knowingly. It'd only be a matter of time before they proclaim their love for each other.

The ride ended all too soon for Sam when they reached the cul-de-sac. As everyone got out and began to take the bags into the house, they noticed it was starting to get dark. The boys frowned at this. There was no way they can get down to the beach before the sun sets.

"Aw man…" Sam sulked as he walked towards the front door.

"Hey, it's no big deal, Squid." Lars reassured, following him into the house. "We'll just have to get down there first thing in the morning."

Sam smiled. "You mean it!.?"

Lars nodded. "You know I do."

"Yeah! I can't wait!"

The brunet chuckled. "Yeah. Just don't give me any more surprises tomorrow, alright?"

The trio laughed at that.

After getting everything put away, Lars decided it was time to get home. Paula offered him to stay and have dinner with them. Unfortunately for Sam, he respectfully declined. He didn't want his parents to worry about him. Not wanting to lose his crush so easily, Sam decided to walk him home. Lars gave him a strange look. They were only a few feet away. But he just couldn't say no to such a good friend.

The brunet blinked at that. Friend? Sam was his friend? He smiled at the boy as they walked out of the house and over to his. Yeah, the blond was acting a little weird, but he was Lars' friend. Perhaps the one true friend he's ever had. As they walked up the stairs to the house, he wondered if they could be anything more. He blushed at the thought. While he thought the younger teen was cute, he wanted to take this one step at a time. Still though… He just couldn't get the boy out of his mind. He was slowly beginning to accept that he wanted him as more than a friend. He wanted Sam as a…as a…

"Uhhh… Lars?" The blond interrupted his thoughts. "We're here."

"What?" Lars turned and found himself just inches away from bumping into the door. Blinking, he backed away and turned to Sam, who was snickering. He glowered at him. "You got some nerve, Squid."

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry." Sam replied, trying to calm himself down. "But that was so funny! Hahahahahahaha!.!.!"

Lars rolled his eyes and started to chuckle himself. Soon, the two boys launched into a fit of loud laughter. They leaned against each other for support as they tried to stop themselves. After a few minutes, they finally calmed down. They looked at each other as they tried to catch their breaths. Lars smiled at the other boy. Sam looked really beautiful in the light of the setting sun. The light combined with the mixed colors of the sky gave him an almost holy aura. That's exactly what the blond boy was; an angel. A perfect being meant only for him.

"So… I guess this is good night then…?" Sam said, breaking into his thoughts again. Lars gave him a playful glare.

"You really know how to ruin a guy's fantasies, huh Squid?"

"Wha?" The blond said, eyes widening at that. Lars sighed exasperatedly.

"I'll see ya tomorrow, alright?"

"Yeah… Good night." Sam said reluctantly. He really didn't want the other boy to leave him. Not so soon.

"Good night…"

That was when Lars surprised both Sam and himself. He closed his eyes and leaned forward. Sam's eyes went as wide as saucers when he noticed the teen pucker his lips. He stood stock frozen as Lars planted a soft, tender kiss on his left cheek. As he pulled away, both of them were completely red. Without a single word, Lars opened the front door, went inside, and closed it shut. Sam's eyes were still wide as he felt his cheek, which was still warm from the brunet's kiss.

"H-h-he kissed me…" He said slowly. "Lars actually kissed ME!"

He ran down the stairs, laughing like a maniac.

"Lars kissed ME!.!.!" He screamed, running into the house.

The rest of the night passed with Sam laughing like a loon at what had transpired. His mother asked him what happened, but all she got was a garbled response. That was when she came to the only logical conclusion. It must've happened. It really happened. She wanted to congratulate her son, but he was simply too energetic to even talk to.

Lars on the other hand was completely questioning his move. He honestly had no clue where _that_ came from! He didn't know how it came about or how it happened. All he _did_ know was that he sorely wanted to do it again, and not just on the cheek. He didn't know why. He didn't know how. He just knew he wanted to kiss the blond again.

Both boys went to sleep that night dreaming of the other. Different scenarios in which Lars professed his love for Sam played through the blond's mind in addition to dreams of the brunet kissing him again. Meanwhile, in Lars mind, different scenes of him kissing the other boy on more than just the cheek played over and over again.

As the two lay in their separate beds, wide grins played on their lips.


	8. Surfing Happiness

Two Extra Eyes

Chapter Eight

Surfing Happiness

The next morning, a strangely happy and energetic Lars jumped out of bed, ready to face the world and a certain blond. As he got ready to go out, he couldn't do anything to take the grin off his face. He didn't pay any attention to all the noise Otto and Twister were making next door. Even wearing his glasses was bearable. It was strange. The one thing he's considered a curse only a couple of days ago became his greatest asset. After all, they _did_ help him become friends with the cute and slightly crazy Sam.

His grin widened at the thought of the boy. He had accepted that he has feelings for Sam after a particularly _naughty_ dream. That kiss really must've done a number on him, and _he_ was the one who gave it! It's amazing how much things changed in the course of a couple of days. For the past five or so years, he absolutely hated the boy and his friends, especially that redheaded punk in sunglasses. He considered all four of them, _especially_ Sam, to be beneath him and therefore not worthy of even being around him except to get whomped.

Then his cronies deserted him and in one rare moment of weakness, he allowed the blond to hold and console him. In that one moment, a spark ignited in the depths of his heart, growing stronger each second he was with him. It grew from a mere ember to a flame when he first looked into Sam's eyes. And from having that delicious breakfast to getting the sports goggles to that good night kiss, it became an out of control inferno! Lars shook in total anticipation. He wanted to tell Sam exactly how he felt in the worst way possible!

There was just one question.

'_How and when am I gonna do it?_' He held his chin. '_I can't just walk right up to him and say, "Hey Squid, I love you. Wanna hook up?"! He'd run from me so fast, you'd think he was the Flash or something!_'

His eyes widened as a blush appeared on his face. Did he just think what thought he thought (try saying _that_ five times fast. ;-P)? He smiled broadly as he nodded to answer his internal question.

'_I love him! I wanna be with him for life! …But what am I gonna say to him? Hell, is he even gonna speak to me after that kiss last night?_'

He didn't have much time to contemplate this for the doorbell rang. With an excited gasp, he grabbed his surfboard, sports goggles, and change of clothes and zoomed down the hall so fast, the pictures on the walls flew off their respective hooks. When he reached the door, he yanked it open, only to find Sam on the other end. The boy still had his finger on the bell's button. He blinked at the happy-looking Lars.

"Hey Lars…" He said strangely.

"Hiya Squid!" The brunet yelled gleefully. "Let's go!"

With that, he ran down the stairs and started walking down the hill. Sam stared after him with an eyebrow raised. Lars was a little _too_ happy this morning… Shaking his head, he grabbed his board and change of clothes and ran to catch up to him.

"Hey! Wait for me, Lars!" He shouted.

Keeping that grin on his face, the brunet stopped and allowed the blond to catch up. After Sam caught his breath, the duo continued on. There was a tense silence between them as they traveled down the hill towards the beach. A few moments passed and Lars noticed that Sam was being strangely silent compared to yesterday. He looked towards him and saw that he had a thinking expression. The brunet looked ahead again as he started to sweat. His companion must've been pondering about yesterday. Lars gulped. He prayed that he didn't scare the boy with his unintended(?) move. He didn't want to lose Sam. Not after he discovered his feelings for him! He had to set things right before it was too late!

He cleared his throat. "Uhhh… Squid?"

"Wha?.?.?" Sam snapped his head up in alarm. He calmed down when he realized who was talking to him. He faced his crush. "Yeah Lars?"

The older boy gulped again. "A-a-about yesterday…"

"Oh, don't worry about it." The blond interrupted, waving a dismissive hand.

"But I—"

Sam grabbed his hand and pulled. "C'mon. We're here."

Raising a confused eyebrow, Lars looked around. They were at the beach already!.? Unlike yesterday, there were many people lounging on the hot sands. There was plenty of space out in the water though. As a matter of fact, the entire area was bustling. The brunet scratched his head as they walked into the rental shop.

'_I really need to pay more attention._'

They soon reached the locker room, where they proceeded to put their stuff away. During the few moments they were in there and when they walked over to the beach, Lars tried to bring up the subject of last night again. Sam, however, dodged the subject by always talking about the weather or what some shoobie was wearing. The brunet looked at him weirdly as they walked towards the water. He was acting very strange today. He was way too quiet; a complete contrast to yesterday. He frowned as they got on their boards and paddled out. He just wanted to clear up this whole mess and maybe even confess his love to Sam. He glared at the blond in front of him. He may love him, but he'll find out what the deal is even if he has to beat it out of him!

Soon, a wave came into view. Putting the subject into the back of his mind for the moment, Lars turned his board around as did Sam. Soon, the wave picked them both up, allowing them to surf. Lars immediately noticed the effect of his sports goggles. The water droplets bounced off them instantly as he rode the wave. He grinned as he and the blond went inside a tube.

"Yes!.!.!" He cheered, walking on the nose of his board. He pumped his fist and waved at Sam, who looked like his normal self again. "Sammy!.!.! I can surf again!.!.!"

He laughed joyously, completely unaware of the name he used. Sam gave him a wide grin. That was the very first time he ever heard Lars call him by that name. What made it even sweeter was that he considered that nickname very affectionate. And it came from _Lars'_ mouth. That made it all the more special!

As they kicked out of the wave and waited for another one, Sam watched his crush laugh and cheer at his first successful wave since he got glasses. It was pretty apparent that he wasn't upset with Lars regarding yesterday's little smooch. As a matter of fact, he was trying very hard not to swim right up to him and return the favor. He wanted to talk to Lars about it so badly. But first, he needed to know what it meant. Did he have the same feelings as Sam did? Or was it all a mistake?

Sam gulped at the thought. He prayed that the brunet loved him back. He couldn't bear the thought of knowing that Lars did it by accident. He didn't know what he'd do if he ever found out Lars didn't have any feelings for him at all. But why did he kiss Sam? Did he just slip on a loose floorboard? Wait, the Rodriguez staircase was made from concrete, not wood. Then did Lars, in a fleeting moment of hormonally induced passion, threw all caution to the wind and just kissed him? Well, whatever the reason, he was determined to find out one way or the other. For now, he wanted to enjoy some wave action.

For the rest of the day, the boys tore up the swell like a piece of paper. They performed their best moves with the greatest of ease. They snapped their boards so wildly, you'd think they were whipping the waves like a jailer would whip a prisoner. In many instances, they would enter a tube and ride on the sides and ceiling as if they were on their skateboards at Mad Town or Zero Gravity Zone. They even launched off the waves and performed all sorts of handstands or spins before reentering them.

The waves were absolutely no match for Lars' goggles. He was able to see even in the fiercest of waves. It was almost as if the water was _afraid_ to even go near his eyes! The goggles repelled the water like light repels darkness. The few times he _did_ wipe out, the water fell off them as soon as they were above the surface.

The whole time, Lars was smiling and laughing louder than ever before. Even more loudly than the time he helped Twister set up that April Fools prank meant for Otto. He was overjoyed to be able to surf again after having to suffer so much at the hands of his glasses. Sam was happy as well. The very knowledge that he was able to make Lars' day great was enough to make him do a back flip in joy. He cheerfully commented on the older boy's increased control and judge of distance. The brunet thanked him for his kind words and grinned at him. It seemed to him that the blond wasn't in that strange mood anymore. Lars sighed with relief at that. It'll be much easier to talk to him about yesterday now.

Soon, the sun began to set, drowning the world in orange, blue, and purple. After riding one final wave and pulling off a sweet 360, the duo returned to shore. The beach was just about deserted now. Breathing in the sweet air, they walked towards the locker room, joking around like a couple of old friends. They may not have been talking about what transpired yesterday, but the conversation was certainly good for Lars. He hasn't had a chat like this in years! Being stuck with a trio of idiots for most of your life will do that to ya.

As they walked through the rental shop, Lars grinned at his blond companion. He hasn't had this much fun since…he couldn't remember! While hanging around and playing sports with his former gang was alright, they had become boring in recent years, not to mention things went downhill in a big way. He wasn't sure why, but he wouldn't be surprised if it was because of all the mischief they'd get into. Prior to getting his glasses, the Lasers' pranks have grown so destructive that they weren't even pranks anymore. Instead, they were outright vandalism. They'd break windows, spray graffiti everywhere, and even went so far as to tip over a car! And then there were the wild parties. There'd be so much drinking and smoking that he simply couldn't stand it. Eventually, he just stopped going to them. Soon enough, his three subordinates dropped out of school and started getting into even more trouble with the police.

He put on a determined look as he nodded to himself. He was _glad_ he wasn't tied down to those fools. They were going nowhere fast and they were dragging him along with them. They'd most likely be put in jail or killed well before they can get their acts straight. He glowered at the memory of them. He wanted absolutely nothing to do with them. All he wanted now was Sam, even if it meant having to hang out with _Otto_. He shuddered at the thought of actually being on speaking terms with the boy.

"Lars? You ok?" Sam broke him out of his reverie. The brunet looked up and around himself. They were standing in front of their lockers. Sam's was open as the blond grabbed his towel and dried himself off. Lars blinked and shook his head.

"Y-yeah, I'm fine, Sammy. Just zoned out for a minute there." He answered.

That was when he realized what he said. He called him Sammy. Not Squid or even a simple Sam. He was too excited out in the water to even notice when he first called him that, but now in the confines of the locker room, his voice bounced off the walls, so he heard it loud and clear.

'_Sammy…_' He smiled as a small blush appeared on his cheeks. '_It felt good to say that… It's got a nice ring to it…_'

Sam blinked. "Uhhh…"

Lars shook his head to get rid of his blush and turned to face his crush. "Zoned out again?"

"Uhhh… Yeah…"

"Sorry about that." The brunet apologized, rubbing the back of his head.

It grew silent as they prepared themselves. The only sounds that were heard were the sounds of the Lars' locker door opening and the ruffling of clothes. There were also the occasional sounds of a car passing by or someone rolling by on a skateboard or blades. Soon, the silence was getting to Lars. It was time to get down to business. He had to talk to Sam about yesterday _now_. It was the perfect time. There was no way the blond could get out without getting past him. He'd have to talk to Lars or risk going outside in his underwear. Either probability was fine with him, especially the latter. After drying himself off, he faced away from the other boy.

"Yo Sammy?"

"Yeah?" Sam looked up after running a hand through his hair. He had just put on his boxers.

"About what happened yesterday…"

As he explained his side of the story, he put his towel on his shoulders and untied his swimming trunks. The blond's eyes widened when he saw Lars pull down his trunks, revealing his gorgeous butt. Sam gulped loudly as he stared. His brain screamed at him to turn away and give him some privacy, but his body wouldn't respond. Every inch of his lightly tanned skin turned bright red when Lars bent down to pick up his trunks. The older teen's rear was just staring back at the dumbfounded boy. Sam's hands shook at his sides as he fought the strong urge to just reach out and squeeze. He dropped his towel as his hands raised themselves. He went completely deaf to Lars' words as his hands slowly inched forward. Those beautiful cheeks looked so tight. Sam's mouth moved like a fish's as he got ever closer to his goal. Just one little touch. That's all he wanted. …Well, he _really_ wanted Lars to turn around right now but he was realistic. He knew _that_ happy fantasy wasn't going to come true anytime soon.

He was mere inches away from those mounds of flesh when Lars rose, still talking. Blinking, Sam snatched his hands away and put them behind his back. Then Lars grabbed his boxers and bent down again. Grinning at his second chance, the blond raised his hands once more and made to experience what he's longed for. That was when Lars stood and raised his left leg. Sam froze instantly. He just got a glimpse of his…!.!.! Blood dripped out of the boy's nose as he stared, willing his eyes to focus on the object in the steadily growing darkness. _Still_ talking, Lars put down his leg, allowing Sam a chance to recollect himself. The break was brief for Lars pulled up his right leg, giving Sam another precious glance. He growled with deep desire. That was it! He didn't care if Lars had the same feelings or not! Hell, he could care less if the taller boy was _straight_ (and thank God he wasn't!)! He wanted him right there and now!

With his plan set, Sam charged right for the boy of his dreams, intent on living out his wildest fantasies on the locker room floor! What he didn't count on however was the interference of the very towel he dropped only a few seconds prior. As soon as he stepped on it, he felt himself going backwards hard and fast. Meanwhile, Lars pulled up his boxers.

"So that's it. I'm sorry about that kiss and whatever ya might've felt." He finished. He blinked when he didn't hear anything coming from Sam. "Squid?"

°THUD!°

Cringing at the sickening sound, Lars snapped his head behind him. There, he saw Sam dressed in only his boxers lying on the floor with a bloody nose, a dazed look in his eyes, and a very, VERY toothy grin on his face. Thinking of the worst, Lars immediately knelt and pulled the blond's head up.

"Sammy! Are you alright!.?" He panicked.

"Ugh…" Sam groaned, allowing his eyes to focus again. He blinked and a tinge of red grew on his face when he found himself staring into Lars' ruby orbs. He smiled shakily. "Yeah… I'm just super…"

For quite some time, they just stayed there staring at each other. Sam laying there on the hard floor, looking up at Lars, who was holding his head a few inches off the floor. Their eyes went wide and their faces went bright red when they noticed their states of dress and the fact that their bodies were pressed together. Overcome by pure emotion, Lars reached up to Sam's left cheek and rubbed it lovingly. Keeping his eyes on Lars', Sam leaned into the touch. They began to sweat as they felt the other's bated breath on them. The brunet licked his lips and swallowed the lump in his throat.

"Sammy…?" He whispered longingly.

"Yes…?" The blond replied sultrily.

"I…"

He bent forward slowly.

"Yes…?"

"I…"

He got closer.

"Lars…"

"I…"

They closed their eyes.

"I…"

Just a few more inches…

"I…"

Closer…

"Yes…?"

Almost there… They pursed their lips preparing for that contact. The air around them became hot and tense as the boys drew closer.

"I love…"

"I love…" Sam returned.

Almost there… They were about to…

"What the—!.?"

Be denied!

"HUH?.?.?"

Sam and Lars looked up and found Reggie standing there in the doorway. She saw the open lockers, the dripping surfboards, and the clothes on the bench. But what she was _really_ concentrating on was the sight of two nearly naked boys on the floor about to make out. The blond and brunet stared back in fright. They didn't even think to _lock_ the door. Her face turned red as she stuttered to talk.

"I-I-I w-w-w-was j-j-just b-b-bringing d-d-d-down some b-b-boxes of s-s-s-shoes when I saw the b-b-backroom d-d-door o-o-open…" She gulped. "Am I interrupting something?"

"Erm… No…" Lars answered in a low tone. He stood up and pulled up a _very_ disappointed Sam. "He just fell and I was helping him up…" He said quickly.

"Y-y-yeah…" Sam supplied, resisting the strong urge to say some…unpleasant things to his best friend. Suppressing that urge, he glared at her as if to say, "Get out now. Don't ask questions. Just _go_." Gulping again, Reggie turned to leave.

"I-I-I think I'll just go now…" She then faced Sam with a look that said, "You better tell me every single detail later." Sam rolled his eyes at that. "See ya later, Sammy."

With that, she left the two boys to finish changing. Sam and Lars looked at each other hesitantly. Were they really about to…? They went red as they inwardly cursed the regal haired girl. They both had the same thought on their minds.

'_She's got the **WORST** timing in the entire freaking universe!.!.!_'

Staying totally silent, they finished changing into their normal clothes. Once Lars was wearing his glasses again and they picked up their belongings, they made their way out of the pier and towards the cul-de-sac. They still didn't talk to each other as they traversed the hill. Were they seriously going to kiss? Did Lars really love Sam? Did Sam really have feelings for Lars? Why the _hell_ did Reggie have to interfere!.?.! Those questions were on their minds as they walked. Soon, they reached the peak of the hill and walked over to Sam's house. They turned to each other with confused looks.

"Uhhh…" Lars tried to speak.

"So…" Sam looked away.

Silence.

"Erm… What're we gonna do tomorrow?" The brunet asked cautiously.

"I think we'll go to the amusement park…" The blond replied. "We can work on your hand-eye coordination at the arcade and midway."

"Ok." Lars turned away. "See ya tomorrow then…" He started to walk.

"Lars wait." The older boy turned to Sam, who was shuffling his feet.

"Yeah?"

Sam looked up at him, fighting to ask about _that_ little occurrence. He then sighed.

"Never mind. Have a nice evening."

"You too…"

They stared at each other for a few minutes. They saw desperation, confusion, and desire in each other's eyes. There was no denying it. They were really going to kiss back there. They both knew it. They loved each other. They were clearly happy with each other. So if they knew this, what was stopping them from telling the truth?

They both heaved a heavy sigh and turned towards their houses. There was simply too much going on inside to think things through. As it turned out, neither of them ate that night. They went to bed as soon as possible, hoping that the next day would come quickly so that they can move on. They sorely needed to see each other again. But they also needed to think this through.


	9. Ice Cream

Two Extra Eyes

Chapter Nine

Ice Cream

The next day, it was blazing in Ocean Shores! That horrible yellow ball of flame commonly known to everyone as the sun was beating relentlessly on those crazy enough to be out there. It was so humid; it felt like someone replaced all the air with glue. A small layer of fog surrounded people as they went about their business. This was caused by their sweat evaporating as soon as it touched the ground. The very ground was smoking. Plants drooped from the wretched heat.

Over at the cul-de-sac, the inhabitants weren't fairing much better. The Stimpletons felt like raisins in their home. They would've gladly jumped in their pool if it wasn't for the fact that Merv overloaded the temperature controls for it. Instead of being cold and refreshing, the water was boiling hot! The Rockets were much too drained to do anything. Their fans were just blowing hot air in their faces. They couldn't even move without setting off a flood of sweat. Even Otto and Twister were keeping completely still when they'd be doing their usual…_activities_ at this time. As a matter of fact, they stayed away from each other for fear of being even hotter due to their body heat. Everybody in the house would've gladly gone surfing, but there was no way they'd make it to the beach before fainting from the heat.

At the Rodriguez house, poor Lars was suffering the most. At least the Stimpletons and the Rocket Dorks had a pool and fans. _H_e on the other hand had absolutely nothing, thanks largely to his cheapskate dad. He glared at the ceiling. He didn't get much sleep at all last night. His mind was completely focused on Sam and what happened in the locker room. He was so disturbed and confused by that entire event that he even dreamt about it!

At first, they were completely harmless. For the most part, his dreams were just simple replays of what occurred. But then his mind changed the entire scenario. In some dreams, Reggie never appeared, allowing him and Sam to lock lips. It was no big deal to Lars. He knew he wanted him. But then, they got more vivid and exciting. In the last few dreams, he actually took off his and the blond's shorts and… They felt so real to him that each time he woke up, he half expected to find Sam wrapped in his arms. Instead, he would be spooning his pillow.

After that last dream, he was unable to get back to sleep. He just stayed up for the rest of the night, thinking about everything Sam's done for him, as well as the two mess ups he's had. He had to tell the younger boy the truth before he winds up doing something he'll regret. He nodded to himself. He'll tell him everything by the end of the day. This was at about six o'clock in the morning, just as the sun rose. Lars rolled over and tired to get back to sleep. But then…

'_That stupid sun!.!.! It's too freaking hot to go back to sleep!.!.!_' He roared to himself.

He tore the covers off himself and prepared himself for the day. His clothes were drenched in sweat almost from the moment he put them on. Even his glasses were steaming up on him, forcing him to take them off and clean them with his shirt every so often. As he stepped into the kitchen to have breakfast, he vaguely wondered if his goggles would resist his sweat. He shrugged. Most likely, but he couldn't be bothered to go back in _there_. The sun was currently hitting his room after all. He got a bowl out of the cupboard and had some cereal.

It was about noon before Sam arrived at Lars' house. His night wasn't good either. His heart was plagued with sadness. He was happy that he discovered Lars loved him, of course, but he was also bummed that the brunet didn't say anything to him. Although, he was also at fault for not saying anything as well. He really should've said something after Reggie's intrusion yesterday. No, he actually should've said something after that kiss on the very doorstep he was standing on. He should've let Lars know right then and there. He should've grabbed his arm and never let go. Anything to avoid letting the brunet escape from him before telling the truth.

He spent most of the night dwelling on this. He knew in his heart that the older boy was the one. He wanted so desperately to tell him this and more. But at the same time, he wanted Lars to tell him everything he wanted to hear and then some before he even uttered a word about his own feelings. By the time he decided this, the sun had already risen. He had a troubled sleep afterwards. His fantasies regarding the brunet attacked him with full force. It was like they were conveying a message. It was almost as if they were screaming, "Tell him already, ya idiot!" When he woke up at eleven o'clock, he was glaring at his thoughts. He nodded to himself and pledged that he'd tell Lars the truth today, one way or the other. He then got dressed.

Now here he was at Lars' front door. He sighed, thinking about the boy that was waiting for him. With a determined nod, he reached up and rang the bell. Lars soon answered the door with his own decisive look. They both stared at each other intently. It was almost like one was trying to burn flames into the other while the other tried to freeze the first. A couple of minutes passed before Lars walked out and closed the door.

"Ready to go?" Sam asked. Lars turned to him and nodded.

"Yeah. Let's move."

They walked down the stairs and started down the hill side by side. As they walked, Lars looked over and noticed to his surprise that Sam was only just beginning to sweat. He raised an eyebrow at him as he wiped his sweaty brow. It was at least a hundred degrees out here! How on earth could the blond _not_ be sweating bullets!.?.! Wiping his hand again and rubbing it on his shorts, he decided to get to the bottom of this.

"Sammy?"

"Yeah?"

"You _do_ know it's like a hundred out here, right?"

"Oh?" Sam gave Lars a curious look as they stopped. "Is _that_ how hot it is?" He wiped his forehead. "Whew… It definitely feels that hot…"

"Uh-huh…" The brunet raised an eyebrow. "So tell me. Why aren't ya sweating waterfalls? It's been burning all morning!.!.!"

"Well, that's the thing…" Sam rubbed the back of his head nervously. "I sorta have an air conditioner in my room and…"

Lars gaped at him before glaring. "I wish you told me about that sooner…"

"Heh, heh…"

"When we get back, I wanna chill in your room."

Sam's eyes widened in disbelief. "Wh-wh-what d-d-did y-y-you say…?"

Lars smiled coolly. "I said when we get back from the amusement park, I wanna chill in your air conditioned room. That alright with ya?"

Sam's mind went blank at that. Lars, the hottest boy in the world, was going to be in _his_ room later today! The boy of his dreams in his room with him, alone! It was like a dream come true! His body trembled as he tried his best to contain his excitement. Was it alright!.?.! It was downright lovely to the blond! To think, he'd be all alone with him for at least an hour! Lars smirked when he noticed the other teen's excited expression.

"I'll take that as a yes." He said as he started walking.

'_Heh, this'll be perfect._' He thought with a snicker. '_I'll be able to get him all to myself and no one's gonna mess this up. I'm gonna tell him everything!_'

'_Yes! Yes! Yes!_' Sam cheered in his mind as he caught up with Lars. '_I'll tell him how much I love him tonight after we get back! I just hope Mom won't be around._' He giggled inwardly.

The pair continued on their way. As they traveled, the sun wasn't showing any mercy. The entire trip down to the pier felt like walking though a desert. It felt like there wasn't any relief in sight. There wasn't a single cloud in the sky, so shade and rain were out of the question. The sticky air made their shirts cling to their bodies like a second skin. They were so sweaty; it looked as if they had been swimming with all of their clothes on. Once again, Lars was reduced to having to take off his glasses to rub out the steam. He looked at the panting blond and gaped.

His glasses weren't steaming up at all!

"Hold it!" He yelled, grabbing Sam. He made him face him.

"What now?" The confused boy asked.

"Why aren't your glasses steaming up like mine?.!"

Sam shrugged. "Smudge resistant." He then raised an eyebrow. "Did your mom get you _any_ kind of special lenses?"

Lars returned the shrug as he let the smaller one go. "If she did, she never told me."

That was when he realized something important.

'_My family is crazy **and** cheap!_' He slapped his head as they walked onward. '_I swear, if I ever adopt any kids or they come up with some way to make a guy pregnant, I'm gonna buy them whatever they need, no questions asked!_'

Soon, they reached the pier. They were both wobbling under the dreadful heat. It felt like if they didn't get any refreshment soon, they would fall like a ton of bricks! They needed something cool. They needed something tasty. They needed… They needed…

"Huh?"

Both boys looked towards the sound of a bell ringing and kids laughing. There, by the entrance to the pier, they saw the answer to their prayers.

An ice cream truck!

"Yes!.!.!" They both cried as they ran with newfound energy to the truck. "Ice cream!.!.!"

They waited in the moderately short line for a couple of minutes. When they reached the truck, they made their orders. Sam ordered a vanilla cone with rainbow sprinkles while Lars ordered a rocky road cone with chocolate sprinkles. When the man told them the total, Sam made to pay for his cone, but Lars stopped him.

"My treat, Sammy."

"Huh? You sure Lars?"

"Yeah, I'm sure." Lars winked at him, causing him to blush in response.

"O-ok…" He bubbled, taking a lick of his ice cream.

The brunet smirked at him as he handed a couple of dollar bills to the ice cream man. The pair then walked towards the amusement park, happily licking their cold treats. The confections didn't do much to cool them off, but it was certainly a good start. Sam walked very close to Lars. It was apparent that he was very grateful for the ice cream. Although it was burning, it was quite an experience to be walking along the pier with the one he loved. What would've made it even better would be if the brunet held his hand, but he wasn't complaining. He was enjoying himself. Nothing can ruin this moment.

"Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha!.!.!" Raucous laughing was heard up ahead. Sam and Lars looked up and groaned.

Walking towards them were the two Lopez Brothers. They were the second most notorious group of evil doers in Ocean Shores (the first being the Lasers, of course). It seemed like they were walking from the Shack. The cups they were holding had rockets pictured on the sides so it was easy to figure it out. Both of the siblings actually seemed to be rather happy. Even Izzy, the angrier and more destructive of the two, was having a good time.

"Ha ha ha!.!.! Hee hee hee!.!.!" The smaller of the two, Iggy Lopez, giggled.

He was thirteen years old. He was about five feet tall, pretty close to Sam's head. He had a light tan and a bush of black hair, most of which was covered by his purple plumber's hat, which had a purple I in the middle of a white circle on its front. He was wearing a light green shirt that had a picture of a video game character named Yoshi on it. It was covered in sweat. Finally, he was wearing a pair of khaki shorts and dirty white sneakers. There was a toothy grin on his face as he sipped his milkshake. Of course, this wasn't different from every other day. The boy was quite simply happy and hyper most of the time.

"Heh, heh! Wait til ya hear the punch line! Ha ha ha ha ha!.!.!" The taller brother, Izzy, laughed.

He was two years older than his sibling. He was close to a foot taller than Iggy, a few inches shy of Lars' height in fact. He had a dark tan and spiky black hair that jutted out from under his blue bucket hat in various directions. He was also wearing a purple shirt, red vest (both of which were drenched in sweat), and black baggy shorts as well as a pair of white sneakers. Normally, he would have an evil, conspiring scowl on his face, not to mention an intense glare that warned all but his brother to watch out. But today, he was strangely happy. There was an uncharacteristic grin on the normally sour puss's face.

"So anyway, I tell the soldier, '_Tanks_ for everything!'"

Both brothers laughed hard at that. As they walked down the pier, the other people cleared the way lest they accidentally trigger the dark one's horrible rage. Once their laughter ceased, they both took a long, satisfying sip of their milkshakes before sighing.

'_Ugh! I knew it wasn't going to last…_' Sam thought, slapping his head.

'_So much for that…_' Lars sighed.

"Wow Izzy, today's been so much fun!" Iggy commented excitedly, looking at his brother. "I mean going swimming with me at the beach, making sandcastles, playing at the arcade, and then buying these milkshakes! You've never been so happy before! Normally, you're always so grumpy, especially when it's real hot like today. You're actually smiling for a change! How come, big bro?"

Izzy glared at him, causing him to flinch. The older brother then chuckled before taking another sip.

"Ahhhh… I'm smiling because I'm happy, my dear brother!"

"_There's_ a first…" The shorter brunet muttered, making his brother glare again.

"Anyway, I'm in a good mood because I haven't seen hide or hair of that blond idiot for _days_!"

"How'd I know it was gonna involve Sammy-Sam?"

Izzy rolled his eyes before grinning. "It's been so great these past few days! Without that fool around, I can actually have fun for once! I've actually been nailing my moves for a change instead of beefing! Ha ha ha!.!.!"

"Ya know what they say about bad karma, bro…"

"Pffft! Like I care about that dork!" The older brother scoffed. Lars and Sam glared at him for that one. "He could fall in a ditch for all I care!"

The blond gritted his teeth and stood in the brothers' path. The brunets continued towards him without paying any attention.

"But Izzy…"

"Drop the subject, Iggy." The taller one warned. "I'm in a good mood and I don't wanna talk shop. As far as I'm concerned, I'm on a vacation. Now let's—"

It was then that he bumped into Sam. The force of the impact caused his milkshake to tip backwards and land on his shirt. Eyes widening, Izzy looked down and gasped in horror.

"My shirt! My precious shirt!" He glared and looked up. "Who did this!.?.!" He roared. He gasped again when he saw the roadblock in the orange shirt.

"That would be me." He said, glowering at Izzy, who gave a glare of intense hate.

"YOU!.?.!"

"Eeeeee!.!.!" Iggy shouted. "SAMMY-SAM!.!.!" He ran head-on towards the blond, throwing his milkshake in the air. It landed with a sickening splat on Izzy's head. The already livid boy shuddered in anger when he felt the cold and sticky liquid dribble all over him.

"M-m-m-my hat…" He hissed through gritted teeth.

"I missed you!.!.!" The younger sibling cheered, embracing Sam. The sudden crash caused his ice cream to go flying. Izzy's eyes widened when he noticed its path of flight.

°SPLAT!°

Vanilla ice cream and rainbow sprinkles covered his face as the cone fell off his nose. Izzy's fists shook at his sides while smoke literally came out of his ears! This was apparently caused by a combination of the heat and his volatile rage. A deep and sinister growl left his throat seconds later.

"Heh, heh…" Sam said in an embarrassed tone. "Hey there, Iggy…"

"Sammy-Sam, where were you all week? It's been so boring without you!" The younger Lopez Brother asked, rubbing the side of his face against Sam like a kitten looking for affection.

The blond put on look that said, "Somebody get this kid offa me…" Lars, meanwhile, gave the little boy a look of extreme jealously. Only _he_ was allowed to hug Sam! He would've gladly removed the kid from his crush, but Izzy beat him to it. The enraged teen, without removing the ice cream from his face, reached out, grabbed the back of Iggy's collar and pulled him off Sam. He then made the boy face him.

"What the hell are you doing!.?.!" He demanded, wiping the ice cream off his eyes with his other hand. "He's the _enemy_!"

"Aw man!" Iggy pouted. "You're grumpy again! You haven't been that happy since that you got with that pineapple boy from Hawaii last year!"

Sam and Lars raised a freaked out eyebrow when they heard Izzy sigh lovingly. They didn't even know he was capable of _love_!.!.!

"Ohhhh… Keoni… He was so hot and handsome… We still email each other every day… I wonder what's he doing—" He caught himself and glared at Iggy with a strong blush on his face. "Who told you, ya little—!.?"

"Ya sure didn't do a good job of hiding it!" Iggy spat. "I mean I saw you two kissing on the doorstop almost every night!" He then smirked. "I even took some sweet pics that I put on my website."

Izzy gaped. "You put pictures of us _together_ on your site!.?.!"

"Yep!" The younger boy smiled.

"And it's on the Web!.?.!" Iggy nodded again. "Are you crazy!.? I never gave my permission and I sure as hell would _never_ agree to _that_!"

The smirk returned to the shorter brother's face. "Well, that's the thing about us photographers; we don't have to ask permission. Besides, Pineapple Boy gave me his permission so there." He stuck his tongue out at Izzy, who growled.

"When I find that camera of yours, I'm gonna tear it to shreds! Shreds you hear me!.?.!"

"Heh, you'll have to find it first." Iggy crossed his arms.

"Oh don't worry." Izzy smirked evilly. "It'll only be a matter of time."

"Yeah right." The little teen's eyes brightened. "Ooooohhhh! Is that ice cream!.?"

Without warning, Iggy licked a glob of Sam's ice cream off his big brother's nose. He hummed in bliss before licking every last bit off Izzy's face. The taller brunet just out and out lost it right there. His eyes bulged in complete and utter disbelief, disgust, and rage. His eyes turned dark red as he gritted his teeth so much that they cracked slightly. As the teen proceeded to slam and beat up the boy, Lars went red in the face. He would've loved to do the same exact thing to Sam. He looked at his quickly melting ice cream then at the blond. He considered splattering it on his beautiful face for a moment before shrugging and going back to watching the brawling siblings. It was hot out and his ice cream was the only source of relief. But he _did_ put that on top of his to do list after he confesses to Sam.

"NEVER do that to me again!.!.!" Izzy roared, stomping on his brother. "Ya hear me!.?.! NEVER!.!.!"

"Got it…" Iggy coughed. His eyes were moving around dizzily. "But it was _so_ worth it…"

"Ugh! Now that _that's_ taken care of…" The being of darkness turned towards Sam and approached, punching his right hand. "You've ruined my favorite shirt and vest Blondie…"

"Isn't that your _only_ shirt and vest?" Sam remarked, smirking. "I've never seen anything else on you for as long as we've known each other."

Izzy stomped at that. "Blondie, I've had a nice couple of days without _you_ around to mess things up! And ya took me out of my happy zone in five seconds!.!.!"

"You have a happy zone, bro?" Iggy asked confusedly. The older brother slapped his head.

"Iggy, shut up." He simply said. He then added to Sam, "You're gonna pay for this, ya blond dork!"

He advanced menacingly and with intent to destroy poor Sam. The bespectacled boy gulped and put up his hands in a defensive stance. Izzy was about to attack when Lars stood in his way, holding up both arms. The slightly shorter brunet stopped and gave the former bully a cold glare.

"Outta my way!" He demanded.

Needless to say, Lars stood his ground.

"Just back off before I whomp you, ya little shoobie!" He warned, returning the glare.

"_Shoobie!.?_ You got some nerve, ya nerd!"

Lars and Sam's eyes widened. No one talks to the brunet in the gray hat like that and gets away with it! His stare hardened.

"Not another word…" He said through gritted teeth.

"Pah!" Izzy scoffed, enjoying this little confrontation. "And just _who_ do you think you are? Judging by those horrid things on your face, I'd say you were a member of Blondie's fan club, though I'd love to know how _he_ got a fan club and _I_ didn't!"

"Oh you don't wanna know why, bro." Iggy said, standing up and dusting himself off. "Trust me, ya _don't_."

The other brother gave him a suspicious look. "And what's _that_ supposed to mean?"

"Eeep!" Iggy quickly covered his mouth. "N-n-nothing bro…"

"Yeah, that's what I thought."

Meanwhile, Lars and Sam were looking at each other in confusion. Did the two brothers _really_ not recognize the brunet due to his glasses? They both knew the siblings weren't the sharpest tools in the shed, but to not recognize him just because of one little detail, especially when he was wearing the same clothes he's always worn… It was just downright crazy if not incredibly dumb.

"Yo, you seriously don't know me?" Lars asked the pair. The Lopez Brothers turned towards him and shrugged.

"Nope, sorry mister. I've never seen ya before." Iggy replied.

"Hmmm…" Izzy held his chin. "You _do_ seem somewhat familiar, but I'm drawing a blank. Now if you'd be so kind as to move, I'd like to get my revenge on Blondie!"

He made to strike, but again Lars stood in the way. Izzy shook his fists at the older teen.

"For the last time, beat it, four eyes!"

The other three boys gasped.

"Wh-what did you call me…?" Lars said in a shocked, but angry tone. The dark teen gave a defiant look as he crossed his arms.

"Ya heard me, geek! Ahahahahahaha!.!.!"

"Hey! Since when did _you_ bust on people for looks!.?.!" Sam shouted.

"Yeah!" Iggy added.

"Heh, I _always_ tease people on looks." The elder brother answered. "Well, aside from you, Blondie. A good rival _never_ bugs his adversary for how he dresses, looks, etc, etc."

Sam blinked. "Then why do you always call me 'Blondie?'"

"Isn't it obvious? I can't stand saying your name, so I simply identify ya by your—Blech!—hair."

The shorter bespectacled boy glowered, feeling his hair. "And what's wrong with my hair!.?"

"It's too _yellow_!" His rival cringed. "Black is a much better hair color."

"Yeah, if you're Dracula." Sam crossed his arms.

"Bust! Ha ha!.!.!" Iggy laughed as he pointed at his brother. Izzy simply gave him a weirded out look.

"Newsflash dummy, _your_ hair's black too!.!.!"

"Huh?" The smaller boy blinked. "Oops…"

"Ugh! I keep getting distracted!.!.!" Izzy stomped the ground and viciously scratched his sticky head before pointing at Lars, whose head was lowered. "Move now, blind boy, or I'm gonna—!.!.!"

"That's it!.!.!" Lars roared, bringing up his head. Both brothers paled at the immense anger in his red eyes. It looked like they going to stretch out of their sockets if it wasn't for his glasses. The veins on his neck were bulging almost to the point that it looked like they were gonna pop! Gulping, Izzy started to back up.

"Heh, heh, heh… Ya know what?" He started, holding up his hands with a nervous chuckle. "Forget about the ice cream and shakes… In fact, I'll buy some for all of us… I'll just go home and—"

"No." The bespectacled brunet growled. He then pulled up his pointing finger and made a "get over here" gesture. "Come here."

"Oh hell naw!" Izzy turned tail and ran. Lars gritted his teeth and turned to Sam.

"Could ya hold this a sec?" He handed over his ice cream cone.

"Ok…" The blond blinked as he took it.

"Thanks. And feel free to have some if ya want. Ya know, since you lost your cone and all." Lars winked before chasing after Izzy, leaving a blushing Sam behind. "Get back here, ya shrimp!"

"Yikes!" Izzy screamed when he saw the brunet in the glasses gain on him. "Get away from me!"

"Ya better stop, dork! If ya don't, it'll be much worse when I catch ya!"

"Ha! Dream on, four eyes!" The taller Lopez Brother looked back and, taking a page out of Iggy's book, stuck his tongue out at him. That just made Lars mad. He increased his speed.

The chase continued for quite some time. The two brunets dashed all over the pier. They sped through the Shack, weaved around the crowds trying to get into the amusement park, darted around the hot dog lines ("Hot dogs!.?" Izzy shouted. "Who in their right mind would eat hot dogs on a day like this!.?" Lars supplied.) before coming back to Sam and Iggy, who were watching and cheering Lars on.

"Iggy you traitor!" Izzy yelled as he passed them. "What're ya doing cheering for _him_!.?"

"Oh like you're _really_ gonna get away from him?" Sam remarked as the brunets passed again.

"This doesn't concern ya, Blondie!"

"Lopez!" Lars bellowed.

During this lap, Izzy decided to get dirty. When they reached the Shack, he grabbed anything he could get his hands on, which was half eaten burgers, French fry baskets, ketchup bottles, and a cup of soda. Laughing evilly, he tossed the burgers and fries at his pursuer. Lars dodged the projectiles with ease by weaving some more. The younger brunet skidded to a stop, took a quick sip of soda, threw them cup aside, and squeezed the ketchup bottles hard, sending two streams of red in the older one's direction. Lars stopped and darted, jumped, and bobbed around Izzy's attack. He even break danced when the other boy proved too fast.

"That's right blindie, dance! Dance!.!.! Gwahahahahahaha!.!.!"

"Boy, you better pray you don't get ketchup on my clothes!" Lars threatened.

"Ha! And what're ya gonna do if I _do_ get ketchup on ya? Muahahaha!.!.!"

That was when Izzy ran out of ketchup. He blinked and tried squeezing the bottles, but to no avail. Eyes widening, he gulped and looked up at Lars, who was in a handstand. All around his hand was covered in red.

"Aw crap…" He turned and ran, tossing the bottles behind him.

"Get back here!.!.!" Lars shouted.

He pushed his hand down and sprung himself over the ketchup. Everyone in the Shack, who was covered from head to toe in filth, applauded the boy. Lars took a bow before running after his prey. He caught up and they soon ran back towards the spectators. They ran around the two boys so fast that they became a couple of blurs, causing poor Iggy to get dizzy. Sam, however, was fine. He wasn't focusing on the chase at all.

"Blondie! Help!.!.!" Izzy begged, running by.

They made another lap.

"C'mon! I'm begging ya!"

Sam simply ignored him as he took a lick of Lars' ice cream. The brunet in the gray hat noticed it and grinned at the blond before continuing the chase. Izzy continued to plead for help as the blond continued to enjoy his chocolaty treat. He happily licked it up, savoring its sweetness. He was grateful to Lars, not just for the delicious ice cream, but for defending him from his evil rival. He never thought in a million years that the brunet would save him from destruction. It was almost as if he was a damsel in distress and Lars was his knight in shining armor. Although, he could never imagine himself in a dress of any sort, the thought made him giggle.

"Please Blondie!" Izzy screamed, beginning another lap. "Call off your dog already!"

"I heard that Lopez! Now you're gonna get it!" Lars yelled after him.

As Sam finished off the ice cream and started on the crunchy cone, he realized something. He just ate something that was in Lars' _mouth_. Any other person would of course consider this mildly disgusting, but the blond, on the other hand, found it to be rather sexy. It was almost like French kissing the boy! Sam grinned as he finished the cone and watched Lars chase Izzy onto the beach. To think, if things go well later today, he could get another taste of Lars, and it won't be from licking a half eaten ice cream cone.

When Lars finally captured Izzy and whaled on him, Sam decided from that day forward that rocky road was his new favorite flavor of ice cream.


	10. Arcades, Clowns, and Dolls

Two Extra Eyes

Chapter Ten

Arcades, Clowns, and Dolls

With the evil Izzy disposed of (for the moment anyway), Sam and Lars were free to enter Dream Park. They walked past several rides, the majority of which had huge lines full of sweaty and extremely thirsty people waiting to get on. The duo envied those that were on the fast rides like the roller coaster and Sky Torpedo. Those lucky people were able to get a major blast of air, which had to of cooled them greatly, even if it _was_ hot air that was blowing in their faces. They would've given anything to be on those rides right now. Even Sam who normally hated fast rides wanted to get on the Sky Torpedo again, just to experience that refreshing breeze. But alas, they had more important business to attend to. Besides, there was no way they would've survived long enough in those immense lines.

Finally losing the light cooling effect of their ice cream, they reached the arcade, which (in Lars' opinion) was stupidly placed at the far end of the pier. They walked inside the main entrance, which was a pair of sliding doors. As soon as they were inside, they felt a cool, relaxing breeze wrap around them like a soft blanket. They smiled as they took in a deep breath. They exhaled in the form of a satisfied sigh. Then they faced each other.

"So what do we play first?" Lars asked.

"We'll play some video games to test your hand-eye coordination." The blond replied, walking forward. The brunet followed. "Then we'll take it from there." He looked back and smirked as he added, "I hope you brought plenty of quarters with you."

Lars stopped and gaped after the snickering boy.

'_Please don't tell me I fell in love with a gold digger…_' He thought, slumping after Sam.

And so the games began. Sam decided to test out Lars' coordination with a simple game. So they started off by playing Pac-man. The brunet didn't seem to have too much trouble playing. That may have been due to the fact that he only needed to hold the joystick to play. Sam was impressed at his crush's ability. Lars made it to the fifth level before finally getting a game over. The blond would normally only make it to the third level before losing. As they played a few more rounds, he vaguely wondered if his companion was really a beginner.

After blowing a good three dollars on the old school classic, Sam decided to step it up a notch by challenging his love to a little fighting game known as Street Fighter. Lars had a little trouble here. It was extremely hard to concentrate on the action onscreen while trying to figure out how to fight. Sam on the other hand, had no trouble executing punishing combo attacks and special moves. In one particular match, he spent the whole time making his character, Blanka (a green monster with red hair) zap Lars' character, Ken (a karate expert) with electricity. In short, poor Lars got schooled big time.

But eventually, he became used to how the machines worked. By the time they got to the third game, Marvel vs. Capcom (another fighting game), he was able to finally damage Sam. Hey, _you_ try playing against someone like Sam! Anyway, after a couple of rounds in which he was trounced badly, Lars finally came back and crushed the blond's character, Spider-man with his fighter, Megaman. The blond gaped in disbelief as he watched the Blue Bomber pull off a massive combo attack that left the arachnid with just a sliver of energy. It only took a little love tap from the robot to fell the web slinger.

After several more successful bouts, Lars was feeling like he was on top of the world. Like Otto, he absolutely loved winning. The rush of adrenaline he got from destroying someone in a competition was empowering. Only one thing could make him feel better than he did right now! And he was standing right next to him. As they walked over to play some air hockey, he glanced at Sam and smiled. This boy meant the world to him and as he discovered yesterday, the feeling was mutual. He couldn't wait until the end of the day. He needed to get this off his chest as soon as possible.

They reached the air hockey tables and found a free one. After inserting a couple of quarters, they grabbed their paddles and started the game. As the brunet knew from playing so many street hockey games against the blond, Sam was no pushover when it came to protecting the goal. Whether it was street, ice, or air, he was a regular phenom. He was quick to block Lars' moves and even countered with some of his own. But the boy in the gray hat wasn't about to lose in a version of one of his favorite sports!

Both boys fought hard and long into the day, cleverly using their talents to their advantage. Sam's expert goalie skills defended him for the most part and even deflected a few shots right into Lars' goal! Lars' aggressive strategies were sometimes too much for Sam to handle. And a little cheating never hurt either. He mainly used the oldest trick in the book; telling him his shoelaces were untied. He also told the younger boy some person was giving out free soda, to which he almost always looked away. The brunet had a smug look on his face as his tactics won him victory after victory ('_Heh, I may love him, but that doesn't mean I'm not gonna cheat!_').

Of course, it wasn't _just_ Lars' tricks that were getting the best of Sam. Being across from the boy of his dreams and staring into his red eyes while Lars (occasionally) looked into his blue ones was simply mesmerizing. Like in the hockey game on that faithful day, Sam lost many points just because he couldn't keep his eyes off the brunet. Naturally, he would get back in the game when Lars, smirking mischievously the whole time, caught his attention by snapping his fingers after scoring several goals against him. The blond would play aggressively just to get back the points he lost, only to zone out again.

Once they finished playing a good twenty or so games (most of which Lars won), the pair walked around trying to find some other game to play. They passed lots of interesting, but crowded games. It seemed that most of the people they saw outside finally got the right idea and took shelter from the horrid sun. There didn't seem to be a single thing to play. They were about to head outside to battle the heat when they passed the prize exchange counter. Sam took one look at it and stopped dead in his tracks. Lars, watching some person play a 3D shooter, bumped into the blond.

"Ooof!" The brunet yelped, staggering backwards. "Hey! Why'd ya stop!.?"

"That…" Sam replied in a distant voice full of awe. He pointed towards the counter. Lars looked and raised an eyebrow.

On top of the shelf behind the counter was a huge doll that was shaped like Bowser from the Mario Bros. games. The fearsome plushy was at least as big as a small child. In its mouth was a piece of plastic shaped like a fireball. Presumably it was some sort of missile that can be launched. The brunet looked a little bit below and saw a sign that read, "100 Tickets." He looked at the drooling boy and held his chin.

"Hmmm…" He snapped his fingers. "Hey Sammy."

Sam shook his head and turned to Lars. "Yeah?"

"How about I try to win that thing for ya?"

The shorter boy's eyes brightened at that, but then he looked away. "Oh you don't have to do that…"

"Well too bad! I'm gonna do it anyway! Tchahahahahaha!.!.!" He laughed as he gave Sam a thumbs-up. He then looked around the arcade. Sam blinked and followed his gaze. A couple of minutes passed before the brunet found what he was looking for.

A little brown haired kid walking around with a paper bag full of tickets. He was wearing a yellow tank top, white shorts, and a blue baseball cap. He looked to be at least as tall as Lars' waist.

The brunet in the grey hat snickered evilly. "Jackpot."

"Huh?" The blond followed his line of vision and found his intended target. "Lars! You wouldn't!" He said with a gasp. The older teen could only grin in response.

"Oh yeah? Watch me."

With that, he walked over to the kid and, without warning, grabbed his arm and dragged him around a corner. Naturally, the boy tried to resist, but Lars, being much older and stronger, had no trouble carrying out his plan. Not even thirty seconds passed before loud crying was heard. Lars walked back to Sam, holding the bag full of tickets with an evil laugh. Sam however was not amused. He gave the taller boy a reproachful look as he crossed his arms. The brunet blinked in confusion.

"_What?.?.?_"

"You stole them from that kid."

"I didn't _steal_ them." Lars defended. "I just _borrowed_ them without asking."

Sam tapped his foot impatiently, causing the other boy to groan.

"Oh c'mon!" He opened up the bag and pulled out a wad of tickets. "There's way more than a hundred in here! He's not gonna miss 'em. We'll exchange them for the doll then give back the rest of them. Whaddya say?"

The shorter boy thought this over for a few moments before nodding.

"Alright, Lars." He said with a sigh. The brunet pumped his fist. "But you have to win at least _one_ ticket fair and square."

"…" Lars shrugged. "Eh, fine. No prob."

With that, they walked towards a row of Skee-Ball machines. After locating the closest one, the boys stood in front of it and prepared to play. As soon as Lars put in his quarter, several small, but hard and heavy balls came rushing into the pocket on the right rim. He looked back to wink at Sam, who still seemed a little angry about his stunt. Gulping and hoping that the Bowser doll would make up for it, he turned and grabbed his first ball. He took a deep breath and sized up his target, the center hole at the end of the lane. He focused on only the hole. He wanted to get the best score possible to impress Sam. The only immediate way to do that was to win him that doll, and he intended to do just that in the most stylish way possible.

He brought the ball back and prepared to throw it…

°CHOMP!°

"YEOWCH!.!.!" Lars yelped, accidentally pitching the ball towards the holes. He snapped his head downwards to see the cause of his pain.

The little boy he snagged the tickets from was biting down hard on his leg! Lars glared at him.

"Hey! Get off!"

The boy looked up and released the teen's leg. He then fixed him with a glare of his own.

"You big bully! Gimme back my tickets!"

The ball sailed through the air.

"Ugh… I probably need to go see a doctor for this…" Lars remarked, looking at his hurt leg dismally.

"Hey! Didn't ya hear me!.?.!" The kid shouted, kicking him right where he bit him.

"OW!.!.!" The bespectacled brunet held his leg and hopped up and down to soothe the pain.

The ball rebounded off the hundred point hole's rim and headed straight for Lars' head.

"Lars, you'd better give him back his tickets…" Sam tried.

"No way! I stole these fair and square and I'm gonna—"

°**WHAM!.!.!**°

The next thing Lars saw was stars, lots and lots of stars, and the occasional sight of Sam _a la carte_ before everything went dark.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

"Lars… Lars!" A heavenly voice echoed in the depths of the brunet's mind.

All that Lars saw though was darkness. It was pitch black all around him.

"Lars! Please wake up!" The voice was heard again.

Who did it belong to and why was it so loud? That was when he realized who it was.

'_S-S-Sam…? Where are you?_'

A low groan was heard. A gasp followed shortly after.

"C'mon… Get up…" Sam's voice pleaded.

'_Get up…? Am I in a coma or something…?_'

Far off in the distance, Lars saw a light. It was far and faint, but it was the newest and only thing that wasn't darkness, so he reached out for the light. It got somewhat bigger, but it was still a small glimmer. But as he got closer and closer to his goal, the light became brighter and brighter until it was as luminous as the sun itself. Speaking of which…

"GAH!.!.! My eyes!.!.! They burn!.!.!" He cried as soon as he opened his eyes.

"Lars!.!.! You're awake!.!.!" Sam cheered, hugging the taller boy, who was currently holding his eyes with one hand while the other gripped his glasses.

It took Lars a good few minutes to recover. As his eyes finally adjusted to the bright light of the outside world, he noticed how hot it suddenly got. It wasn't just because of the extreme heat outside but the fact that Sam was holding him. While he liked being held by the boy, now wasn't a good time! He also noticed that he was pretty wet, not just from his and Sam's sweat, but because drops of water kept falling on his shoulder. He was trying to figure out where those drops were coming from when he heard a sniffle coming from the blond.

They were tears.

'_He's crying?_' Lars questioned. '_What for?_'

He grabbed Sam's shoulders and pushed him away from him. The younger one had a relieved smile on his face. His cheeks were red as were his puffy eyes. Tears were falling down his face. The brunet's eyes widened. Sam really was concerned about his safety. But what happened in the first place, and where was he anyway?

Well, he wasn't going to get any answers with the blond's waterworks. Blushing a bit, he held up a finger to Sam's eyes and wiped away his tears. Shocked at the action, the other boy stayed still until his face was dried. After wiping his hands on his already moist shirt, Lars smiled warmly at him.

"Feeling better?"

Sam nodded. "I should be asking you that." He said with a light chuckle.

"Eh, I'm fine, except that I'm burning again."

"Well it's starting to get cool anyway. It's close to sunset."

Lars raised an eyebrow. "Sunset?" Sam nodded again. "I was out that long? What happened? Where am I?"

"In this order. Yes, you got hit by that skee-ball while that kid whomped you—"

"Whomped _me_? You must be joking!" The brunet crossed his arms indignantly. "I coulda bashed that punk ten times before he hit the floor!"

"Yeah right." Sam countered, sticking out his tongue. Lars glowered before dropping the subject.

"Ok, that's two questions down. Where am I?"

"You're in the first aid tent."

Lars looked around himself. He was in a yellow medium-sized circus tent. All around him were charts and graphs. Some of them depicted clowns lying in a hospital bed with frowns on their faces while clowns dressed up as doctors tended to them. Others had teddy bears on them. Supposedly, they were used to calm down little kids who fell and hurt themselves. There were also shelves full of medicine, bandages, and other assorted medical supplies. He looked up and shielded his eyes from the sun, which was shining in through a skylight. Finally, he looked down and saw that he was lying in a bed. He quickly pulled up the covers and saw that he was still in his clothes.

He sighed with relief as he dropped them and felt his head. He wasn't wearing his hat, but his forehead was wrapped with gauze. He felt around, but cringed in pain when he touched the side of his head, where the ball must've struck him. He looked around for his hat, but to no avail. It seemed that it was lost. Growling, the brunet clenched his fists.

"Ooooh! When I get my hands on that little dork—!"

He was cut off when he heard snickering. He snapped his head towards Sam, who was holding his mouth.

"What're you laughing about Squid?.! That stupid shoobie stole my hat!"

The blond finally lost it. He busted out laughing at the other teen. Lars gave him a weirded out look.

"Uhhh… Yah…"

"He didn't take your hat!" Sam finally managed to get out.

The brunet blinked. "Then who did?"

"I did! Hahahahahaha!.!.!"

Sam launched into another giggling fit as he pulled out the gray beanie. Lars immediately snatched it, dusted it off, and put it on. He then glared at him.

"What's the big idea, Squid!.?.!" He shouted, crossing his arms.

"Aw I'm sorry." The younger teen said, recovering. "I didn't think you'd get so upset."

"Well yeah… I've had this thing since I was a baby." Lars explained. "It's precious."

"Oops… I didn't know…" Sam looked down. "I wouldn't have done that if I knew how much it meant to you…"

"Forget about it. At least nobody walked off with it."

"But still, I shouldn't have taken it from you. If there's anything I can do to make it up to you, let me know."

"Hmmm…" Lars held his chin as he thought of something the blond could do for him. He snapped his fingers and put on a devilish smirk. "Ok Sammy, here's what I want you to do."

"W-w-what…?" Sam gulped and shuddered. Clearly he was afraid that his crush would make him do something regrettable.

"Tell me how I looked."

"…" The shorter boy stopped shaking and raised an eyebrow. "What?"

Lars crossed his arms again. "Did I stutter? If ya took off my hat while I was knocked out, I wanna know how I looked without it on."

"Oh…" Sam blushed and looked away. "You looked handsome without your hat on. Your hair is so long and gorgeous. It was like you were a god and I was just your lowly servant. I felt like I could do anything for you, just for you and nobody else. You looked hot and sexy a-a-and…"

"Ok, ok! I get it!" Lars stopped him. His face was bright red after hearing all that. He held his nose for fear that he'd lose a lot of blood if he didn't. He knew Sam loved him, but _that_?.?.? He shook his head and cleared his throat to get rid of the blush. Sam then faced him.

"So why?"

The brunet gave him a questioning look. "Why what?"

"Why do you keep your hat on all the time? I mean…" He blushed again. "You know…"

"Oh." Lars shrugged. "That's exactly the reason. One time a couple of years back, my mom took my hat to get it washed, so I had to go to school without it. Long story short, by the end of the day, I was chased all over Ocean Shores by every freaking girl in town!" He shuddered at the memory.

"Ouch…" Sam cringed. "All because of your hair?"

The taller boy nodded. "Girls are crazy. Remember that and beware."

The shorter one chuckled. "Heh, will do."

"So when am I getting out of here?"

"Oh! That's right! I forgot!" Sam got up off the bed and walked towards another section of the tent. Lars followed his movements. "I was supposed to call the nurse over as soon as you woke up."

"And you forgot this why?"

Sam looked back. "Well, I _was_ with you the whole time." He winked before leaving to get the nurse. Lars blinked and felt his face go red at that comment. He then sat up and punched his pillow in frustration.

'_God!__ This day can't end any faster, can it!.?.! I wanna tell him everything and NOW!.!.!_' He roared inwardly. '_Please let the day already!_' He sighed and leaned back against the headboard of the bed.

Soon, Sam returned with the nurse, who was a clown. She looked Lars over and did a couple of tests such as asking questions to test his short and long term memory, hit his knee to test his reflexes, and stick a bright light in his eyes among other things. When it was all done, he was free to go.

Wondering who in the world ran the amusement park, Lars walked out of the tent with Sam. They noticed that the part of the sky over the hill was darkening for sunset, but it was still rather early due to the fact that it was still bright where they were. It also got considerably cooler since this morning just like Sam said. It was still humid of course, but there was a gentle breeze blowing. There were less people in the park now, so the lines became much smaller.

"So what do we do now?" The brunet asked.

"Well, you seem to be alright with your coordination so I guess we can have some fun now." Sam replied.

"Great! I'm in the mood for some high speed!" Lars started running towards the end of the pier. "Last one on the Sky Torpedo's a lame-o! Pahahahahaha!.!.!"

"Oy… Me and my big mouth…" The blond groaned, slapping his head. He ran after the other teen. "Lars! Wait up!"

So they spent the next couple of hours on the rides. Since the waiting times were actually bearable, they had no problems waiting to go at extreme speeds. Although they were sweaty, they were actually having a good time. They joked around in the lines and reminisced about how dumb Otto and Twister looked when they messed up a trick or did something really stupid. Their laughter was so loud that the other people in the lines complained and told them to quiet down, to which Lars threatened them with bodily harm. Thankfully, the people backed off, allowing the boys to go back to laughing.

When they finally got on rides, it was amazing. If they thought the people they envied earlier got cool winds blown at their faces, it was a downright gale for them! The high velocity combined with the cooling temperatures and sweat on their faces provided a great fan for them. They were having a blast. Surprisingly, Sam seemed to actually be enjoying himself. He thought he'd be screaming in fear while he was tossed around like a rag doll, but instead, he was laughing and screaming to go faster. He wasn't sure what it was, but he was sure Lars holding his hand had something to do with it. It was amazing how much Lars' hand could make him feel better. Sam had to giggle at the implications caused by _that_ thought. When they got off their latest ride, the roller coaster, Lars gave him a strange look and asked what was so funny. Snickering, the blond told him nothing and moved on.

Soon, the sun started to disappear over the horizon, signaling the approach of night. As they got off the Gnarly Sea Monster ride, they noticed some stars appear in the sky. They both looked at each other with a mixture of excitement, nervousness, and love. They'd have to leave to go to Sam's house, where they both planned to tell each other the truth. They gulped at the thought and considered backing off, but they remembered what they said earlier today. They were going to do it.

"So…" Sam broke the silence. "Guess it's time to go home, huh?"

"Yeah…" Lars nodded.

"Erm… Did you still want to come over to my house?"

"Of course!" The brunet shouted confidently. "I've been burning all day! I gotta cool off!"

The blond grinned at him. "Ok! Maybe you can stay over for dinner too!"

"Heh, I'd love that." The taller one agreed with a nod. Sam blushed and turned away as they walked towards the park's exit.

They were almost out of the park when Lars looked to his left and grinned. There was a strength tester game nearby. It was a giant piece of wood that was at least fifty feet high. At the top was a bell while at the bottom was a seesaw that had a small weight on the side that the plank was on. A huge mallet was lying nearby as well as a big rack of assorted toys, one of them being the Bowser plushy he was trying to get for Sam earlier. He clenched a fist at his second chance and stopped the blond.

"Huh? What's up, Lars?"

"C'mon!" The older boy shouted, pulling Sam along. "I wanna play this one game before we leave!"

"Woah!"

Lars dragged him over to the strength tester and pulled out a couple of dollars.

"Yo!" He said to the man running the game. "I'll give it a shot!"

"Heh, whatever ya say, chief." The man said, smirking as he took Lars' money. "If you think you can handle it, that is."

The teen eyed him suspiciously. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"Well, for someone with your…condition, it's not gonna be easy to win."

Lars glowered at him. "Condition? Hmph! Ya better watch it." He warned.

"Or what?" The man snickered. "You're just a nerd! There's no way you're gonna hit that bell! Hahahahahaha!.!.!"

Sam blinked and stepped back as Lars growled and gritted his teeth. He tightened his fists and was about to strike when he stopped and put an evil smirk on his face.

"Ya wanna bet on that?"

The game operator stopped laughing long enough to give the boy a smug look. "Ok, four eyes! How much do ya wanna bet?"

"Two hundred bucks and one of those dolls say I hit that bell. How about it?"

"Ha! Ya got a deal sucker! Hahahaha!.!.!" The operator laughed, shaking Lars' hand.

"Lars, what're you doing!.?.!" Sam cried out. "We don't have—!.!.!"

"Relax, Sammy." His crush waved a dismissive hand. "I got it taken care of. Just watch." He winked as he walked over and grabbed the mallet.

With a grunt, he picked up the heavy hammer. Smirking mischievously, he decided to play around and pretend to struggle against the weight. As expected, the operator and passersby laughed at him. Sam had a look of fear on his face. He was about to run over to help when Lars faced him and winked at him again. His eyes brightened when he realized what was going on and relaxed. Still faking it, Lars hoped over to the tester and stopped.

"Hurggggggghhhhhh!.!.!" He grunted as he lifted the mallet above his head. "HIYAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHH!.!.!" He delivered a great roar as he unleashed all of his energy into his swing. The hammer crashed into the launcher sending the weight up the plank at lightning speed. It kept going and going until…

°CLANG!.!.!°

The force of the crash caused the weight to actually get stuck in the bell! Lars leaned against the mallet with a teasing grin on his face. Everybody that was watching gaped in utter disbelief. Their jaws actually hit the ground at the spectacle of strength. He walked over to the prize rack and snatched the huge life sized doll Sam wanted.

"Here ya go, Sammy." He said as he presented it to a still shocked Sam. "This is the doll ya wanted, right? I got it fair and square."

"Y-y-yeah… I can see that…" The blond stuttered, taking the doll. "Th-th-thanks…"

"No prob. It's the least I can do." Lars said, turning away with a blush. When it went away, he stomped over to the operator, who was still in shock. "Alright! I won the stupid game! Now pay up!"

"H-h-h-h-here…" The man pulled out his wallet. "T-t-t-t-take it…"

"Hmph! Thanks." Lars snatched the wallet and put it in his pocket as he walked over to Sam. "C'mon Sammy, let's go."

With that, he took the amazed blond's hand and started towards the cul-de-sac.


	11. The Price of Love

Two Extra Eyes

Chapter Eleven

The Price of Love

The sky became black and the full moon shone brightly as Sam and Lars trekked up the hill to the blond's home. All along the way, they were mentally preparing themselves for what was coming. They went over their lines, trying to think of the most meaningful thing they could say to each other. It was like rehearsing for a big play. They couldn't just get their lines right. They had to also convey the right feeling. They had to let out their emotions perfectly. After all, this was a dedication of love. It was imperative that they told the other boy exactly how they felt and that they followed through perfectly. Absolutely everything had to be done right!

But did they really have anything to worry about? They more or less knew how the other felt. They knew that they would do anything for each other. They would protect the other from anything that came with intent to either separate or destroy them. And if one got hurt, the other would be right there to pick them up. They would help each other out no matter what the circumstances. They would be more than happy to give each other the world if they ever asked for it.

So what was the problem?

"Well, here we are…" Sam trailed off.

They were standing at his front door. The lights were on in the living room and kitchen, so it was apparent that Paula was home.

"Yeah…" Lars nodded. He took a sniff and smiled. "Hmmm… Smells great in there! Let's go!"

Sam gave him a small smile. "Alright!"

He turned the knob and walked inside, followed by the brunet. As soon as they stepped in the living room, dishes clinking and cooking were heard from the kitchen. Sam placed his Bowser doll on the sofa and turned to Lars.

"Go ahead and sit wherever you want." He said before turning towards the kitchen. "Mom! I'm home!"

"Hello Sammy!" Paula said, poking her head out of the kitchen. Her eyes brightened when she saw his companion. "Oh hello Lars! How are you?"

"Fine, thanks Ms. Dullard." Lars replied, sitting on the couch.

"How was your day, boys?"

"It was great!" Sam shouted happily, holding up his doll. "Lars won me this cool doll at the amusement park."

"Heh, it was nothing…" The other teen said, turning away with a blush.

"You kidding? It's awesome! I love it!" Sam stood up with the doll in hand. "I'm gonna go put it in my room right now!"

"That's wonderful you two. I'm just about done making dinner. Will be joining us tonight, Lars?" Paula asked. "I've made steak with mac and cheese."

"Sure!" Lars replied. "Let me just call my mom."

After calling Sandy and getting her permission, Lars sat and had dinner with the Dullards. During the delicious meal, the teens told Paula everything that happened today. Naturally, they conveniently left out the details of their encounter with the Lopez Brothers and the brunet's experience with the skee-ball. They all had a good laugh when Lars told her about the incident at the strength tester machine. Paula praised Lars on his improvement as far as his glasses were concerned. She told him that Sam has said some nice things about his progress. The boy blushed darkly at that, to which Sam laughed at. Smirking, the taller teen brought the blond (who was next to him) over and gave him a playful noogie. Sam struggled against the stronger boy but to no avail. Paula laughed as they carried on. Thankfully, this happened after dinner, so she didn't even have to worry about a huge mess.

The blonde watched the two boys play fight with a big grin on her face. She's never seen Sam happier than this before. He really seemed to be having himself a good time. He was grinning broadly the whole time Lars was running his fist through his hair. And the brunet also had a grin of his own as he continuously played with the other's golden locks. They were so happy that they were ignoring the blushes on their faces. It was almost as if they were really comfortable around each other. Paula chuckled as she sipped her coffee.

'_I've said it before and I'll say it again. They really do make a cute couple._' She thought, looking at them joke around.'_I wonder if there's a way to get them to confess tonight…_'

That was when she looked at the clock. It was nine o'clock. It was starting to get late. The woman smirked as she turned to the boys.

"It's getting kind of late and you've eaten such a big meal." She said to Lars. "It wouldn't be very polite to just send you home. How would you like to spend the night here?"

Sam grinned at that and turned to the brunet with a pleading look. His pupils grew so big, they almost completely took up the space in his glasses. Lars raised an eyebrow at him and shrugged. He just couldn't resist that puppy dog(?) look, not that he really wanted to go home anyway. He didn't feel like dealing with those two twerps. Besides, he still had to confess to Sam and Paula's request made this much easier. He turned to the woman and nodded.

"Sure, I'll just go call my mom."

As he got up to make the call, both Paula and Sam pumped their fists in triumph. The son walked around the table and gave his mother a hug.

"Thanks a lot, mom." He said.

"Don't thank me yet." She said. "You still have to tell him, you know?"

"Right." Sam nodded. "I'm gonna do just that tonight."

He walked into the living room and sat down on the sofa.

"Good luck, Sammy." Paula said under her breath as she prepared to wash dishes.

Meanwhile, Lars dialed the number to his house. It rang a few times before someone picked up. He was about to talk when he heard a _very_ loud crash and two familiar voices laughing insanely. Raising a freaked out eyebrow, he held the phone away from his ear. Sam looked at him weirdly when he too heard the noise. Shrugging at him, Lars put the phone back to his ear.

"Uhhh… Hello?"

There was another crash in the background before he heard someone pick up the receiver.

"_Hello, I'll be right with you!_" Sandy's voice said before glass shattering was heard. "_Mauricio!__ Put down that vase this instant!_"

"_Ok mom!_" Twister's voice was heard.

°CRASH!°

Lars cringed as even more chaos was heard.

"_No Otto!_" Raoul was heard yelling. "_We just got that window fixed a couple of days ago!_"

Another shatter was heard as well as a certain redhead screaming like a baboon. Finally, the phone was picked up again.

"_Ok, I'm back! Mauricio, sit down already!_"

Hearing the redhead in question giggle like a maniac in the background, the brunet put on a disturbed look. "Do I even _want_ to know?"

"_Oh Lars, it's you!_"

"What's going on over there?"

The boys' laughing was heard in addition to another crash.

"_Well, we gave Otto and your brother some flan for dessert and they just went crazy! For the love of—! Catch them already, Raoul!_"

"_What do you **think** I'm trying to do!.?.!_" Raoul's voice was heard.

Lars slapped his head. "After the _last_ couple of times you gave them sugar, you _still_ didn't learn your lesson?"

"_Lars, I'm not in the mood for this!_" Sandy barked. "_Now why'd you call!.?.!_"

"I wanted to ask ya if it's alright for me to stay over at Sam—I mean Squid's house for the night." He replied. Sam looked over and raised an eyebrow. Why did he just correct himself?

"_Yeah, yeah!__ That's fine! I gotta go! Bye! No! Not the TV!.!.!_"

An _extremely_ loud slam, crash, and shatter were heard seconds later. Eyes widening, Lars slowly hung up the phone and turned to the blond.

"Well? What'd she say?" Sam asked, inwardly praying that he'll be allowed to spend the night.

"She said I can stay over." He answered. The shorter boy inwardly cheered at that. "Can I ask you a favor?"

"Sure! Anything!"

"Could I possibly watch TV here…"

"But of course!" Sam happily replied, handing him the remote.

"…For the next six months?"

"…"

"Don't ask. Just don't." Lars sighed.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

The trio had a good laugh, a good fright, and a good…Q and A? Sam, Lars, and Paula spent the last three hours watching a couple of Paula's favorite sitcoms, Sam's favorite sci-fi show, and Lars' favorite scary movie. The boys were sitting next to each other on the sofa while the blonde sat in the nearby armchair. She watched them carefully throughout the evening. During the sitcoms, they were holding each other as they laughed at every joke. During the commercials, they would always go over each and every joke, causing even more laughs.

While they watched Sam's show, they spent almost the entire time talking about it. Basically, Lars was asking the blond all sorts of questions like "Who's that guy?" or "What's _that_ thing!.?.!" and of course "Woah! Did you see what that alien thingy did!.?.!" Naturally, Sam answered each and every question. He basically explained a good six or seven seasons of the show by the time that one episode was over. What Paula found cute (and amazing) was that the brunet hung on each word. Normally, she'd be bored to death whenever Sam had to explain the show to her.

And when they watched the scary movie, she had to hold her mouth to avoid giggling. Sam and Lars were clinging to each other the whole time while they fed each other popcorn. Whenever a person got killed onscreen, the shorter of the two would jump right into the taller one's lap. They'd stay in that position, holding each other for at least fifteen minutes before looking at each other, blushing, and turning away to sit at opposite ends of the sofa. Slowly, they would meet each other in the middle of the sofa, hold each other, and feed each other popcorn before repeating the process all over again.

When the movie ended, it was well past midnight, so Paula bid them good night and retired to her bedroom. She desperately wanted to see the little romance unfold further, but she was dead tired and she had work in the morning. Cursing both her basic human needs and her job, she entered her room and went to bed. Sam and Lars decided to follow her example and walked over to the former's room.

When they entered, they were greeted by a chilly blast of air. Sam reached over and flicked the switch. The overhead light flickered on, revealing the room. There was a small desk against the right wall that had a computer and various scientific instruments sitting on it. On the very top of it was the doll Lars won for him earlier that day. Several posters and maps decorated the wall behind the desk. On the right corner was a decent sized TV. Sitting by it were some video game consoles and controllers that were badly tangled up. It was a complete mess of wires. On the left wall was Sam's bed, which was a single twin sized one. And there on the window was the source of the cool breeze. A powerful looking air conditioner was blowing sweet, sweet air into the room, making it much colder than it must be outside.

"Heh, nice room." Lars complimented, walking further inside.

"Thanks, Lars…" Sam said, going red in the face. "So where do you want to sleep?"

The brunet turned to him with a serious expression. "First, there's something I wanna talk to you about."

Sam blinked. "Y-y-yeah? What?"

Lars shuffled his feet nervously. What he was about to say was difficult, even _after_ all that planning he did on the way up here. He took a deep breath and spoke.

"Sammy, until a couple of days ago, I thought these glasses of mine were a curse. I completely hated them. I kept telling myself that I couldn't wait until the day I could see again just so that I can toss them in the ocean, never to see 'em again.

"But now that I've thought about it, they're actually not so bad anymore." He sighed and looked towards the floor. "I mean, I should be upset that I lost my buds and my reputation went down the drain, but I just don't care anymore. There's just one person that matters to me now."

The blond gulped and felt his eyes widen. "Wh-wh-who?"

The brunet looked up at him. "You, Sammy. You came to me in my hour of need and actually picked me up, even though I've been such an ass to you over the years. You helped me get used to my glasses and even got me those sports goggles. And then there was that kiss… I know I said it didn't mean anything back at the locker room, but it _did_ mean something. And it took me until the day we almost kissed again to realize it."

Both of them were beginning to feel warm. Not even the air conditioner, which must've been going full blast, could cool them down.

"I-I-I guess what I'm trying to say is…I love you, Sammy. I love you dearly. I love everything about you; your kindness, your brains, your voice, everything! I want to spend every living moment with you. I-I want to someday move into a place of our own and be together forever."

He stared into those sapphire eyes and willed himself to relax as he waited for Sam's response. The blond looked back into those stunning rubies as he tried to think of the right way to reply. He soon decided to screw it and embraced the surprised Lars.

"Oh Lars! I love you too!" He cried into the brunet's chest. He looked up with tear-filled eyes. "I've loved you since we first met in that hockey game we played! I was happy to help you get adjusted to your glasses! Ever since that day in the locker room, I knew we were meant to be. I've always wanted to be with you. I admire your strength, persistence, and of course your hair…"

"Heh, how'd I know that one would come up?" Lars smirked. Sam gave him a playful punch.

"Way to ruin the moment there, Casanova."

"Hey, _you're_ the one who decided to go on about my hair." The older one defended, sticking his tongue out at him.

"Well _you're_ the one with sexy hair!" Sam retorted.

"Heh, true, but _you're_ the cute one who just happens to like my hair!"

They laughed at each other for a few moments before it grew silent. They were just looking into each other's eyes the whole time. Sam soon cleared his throat.

"So now what?"

Lars smirked devilishly. "Well, how about we continue where we left off at the locker room."

The blond returned the smirk. "Sounds good to me."

They closed their eyes as they slowly leaned in close. They soon felt each other's hot breath on the other's lips before connecting in their very first kiss as lovers. It was like Heaven as they kept the contact going for as long as they could before finally separating for air. Grinning, they leaned their heads against each other, repeatedly breathing out, "I love you" before kissing again. This time, they were much rougher with each other. They pressed the other against their bodies while running their hands everywhere.

Eventually, Lars licked his love's lips, begging for access. Wanting to do this for so long, Sam happily parted his lips, allowing both of them to get a blessed taste of each other's mouth. The brunet ran his hand through other's hair passionately, causing the blond to moan in ecstasy. Soon, they found each other on the bed, Lars straddling Sam. They took a break and just smiled at each other while trying to get air into their lungs.

"You're beautiful..." The taller one said.

"Yeah… And you're hot…" The shorter one panted.

Grinning at the compliment, Lars peeled off his and Sam's shirts before taking his lips again. As they kissed, they rubbed against each other's naked chests, moaning and groaning while continuing their exercise of passion. The brunet thrust into the blond's hips the entire time, making them both go crazy at what they were expecting. Desperately wanting that moment to occur, they sped up their movements. Their sweaty bodies made them slippery. Lars pulled away and kissed Sam's neck, making the other boy groan loudly as they kept thrusting against each other until…

"Ugh… Uhhh… Lars! Lars!" Sam cried out. "I'm gonna…! UGH!.!.!"

He hissed as a faint wetness was felt below the waist. Lars kept moving however; he still had some energy remaining. He thrust with full force as he claimed Sam's lips. The air was positively steaming as he kept up his rhythmic movements until, a good five or so minutes after Sam's climax, he felt his own wetness. Panting in sweet satisfaction, he climbed off the blond and laid next to him. When they caught their breath, they grinned at each other, climbed into the covers and discarded their shorts. They then turned to each other and embraced, feeling the fabric of their boxers against each other as well as that sweet, sweet moisture.

"L-L-Lars… That was… That was…"

"Shhhh…" The older one placed a finger on his lips. "I know… It was amazing for me too…"

"I love you…" Sam said, snuggling closer.

"I love you too, Sammy…" Lars said, taking off his and the blond's glasses. He then reached over and placed them on the nightstand.

They spent the rest of the night, cuddling one another and occasionally making out before finally falling asleep at least two hours after their confession.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

The next day, birds were chirping, welcoming the rising sun with open arms—erm…wings. The human population, on the other hand, was already burning in what had to be Ocean Shores' worst heat wave in decades. Everyone outside was so sweaty, it felt like they were going to be living raisins by the end of the day! It was impossible to move in that horrifying heat, so most people were dead asleep. Even the Rodriguez family and Otto were knocked out, despite all the chaos that occurred in that house last night.

In fact, about the only people in town that were comfortable were Sam and Lars. They were sleeping soundly in the air conditioned room. They were completely oblivious to the heat. …Well, not counting each other's body heat anyway. Their limbs were entangled in each other. They were sharing the same pillow and smiling, dreaming pleasant dreams about the other boy. Their breathing was slow and content. It seemed like nothing can ruin this blissful moment.

°BRIIIIIIIIINNNNNNNNNG.!.!.!.!.!.!.!°

"GAH!.!.!" Sam yelped, falling out of bed in fright. Unfortunately, because they were entangled, Lars was also pulled down.

"WOAH!.!.!" He shouted in surprise.

°CRASH!.!.!°

"Ugh… Ohhh…" Both boys groaned in pain.

Slowly, Lars' hand reached up and hit the snooze button on the alarm clock. He then snatched their glasses off the nightstand and put them on his and Sam's faces. When everything came back into focus, both bespectacled teens found themselves in a rather _familiar_ position. The brunet was sitting right on top of the blond's boxers. Ignoring the fond memory that was beginning to resurface, the former gave the latter an irritated look.

"Heh, heh, heh… Whoopsie daisy?" Sam chuckled in embarrassment. Lars kept that look on his face as he stared down at his lover.

"Is this how you greet your boyfriends the morning after?"

Sam shrugged. "I dunno." He then smirked. "Do you think it should be?"

Lars glared and was about to say something, but stopped and put on a thinking look. His features relaxed as he shrugged.

"Well I _do_ get to see your cute body… Eh, next time don't make it as painful."

"Will do…" The blond grunted under the weight of his boyfriend. "Uhhh… Lars? Do you think you could get off me now?"

"Aw what's the matter?" The brunet smirked as he drew closer to the other boy. "Am I too heavy for you?" He planted his lips on Sam's. The younger boy happily returned the kiss before Lars withdrew.

"Well not really… I kinda want to—"

"What? Go another round? This early in the morning?" Lars grinned. "Sure! Why not?" He again bent down and kissed Sam passionately. Sam barely had time to return it before Lars pulled away and rubbed the other boy's bare chest, making him moan.

"Lars! I—Ooooohhh…—have to go to—Hmmm… That feels so good…—the bathroom!.!.! Let me—Ohhhh… A little to the left… Yeah… That's the spot…—up right now!"

"And what're ya gonna do if I don't?" The older one laughed teasingly as he tickled the blond.

"C'mon! I'm—Hahahahaha!.!.!—serious! I'm gonna—Hahahahahaha!.!.!—BURST! Hahahahaha!.!.!"

"Yeah right! You're just trying to get out of this!"

"Trust me, ya don't want to hold me any longer!" Sam laughed. "I'm not gonna last much longer!"

"Uh-huh, I'm so sure."

"Fine! If you'd rather I peed on ya, go ahead and keep tickling me!"

"Ok, you asked for it!" The brunet continued his relentless torture.

"Don't say I didn't warn you…" Sam said sing-songly.

Seconds later, Lars felt a distinct moisture against his underwear. It wasn't the same as last night… In fact, it was rather warm…

His eyes widened.

"EWWWWWW!.!.! SICK, SQUID!.!.!" He scrambled off the boy, allowing him to run to the bathroom. A slam was heard shortly after. "Ya coulda warned me at least!"

"Hey! I _told_ you I had to go!" Sam's muffled voice was heard from behind the door. Flushing and running water were heard before the blond reentered the room.

"Hmph! Still, ya should've gave me a sign." Lars grumbled, crossing his arms. Sam rolled his eyes before putting his arms around his love's waist.

"Are you always this crazy in the morning?"

The brunet nodded as he returned the hug. "After something like confessing your feelings to the boy of your dreams and sleeping with him, wouldn't _you_ be a little crazy too?"

"Hmmm… Good point." Sam conceded, smirking at him. "I'm just crazy about you." He stood up on his tiptoes and kissed the brunet. Lars returned the kiss gleefully.

"_Now_ you're speaking my language." He chuckled when they separated. Sam had to laugh at that before going back for another taste of the other teen's lips.

They spent a good ten minutes making out in the middle of the air conditioned paradise, standing in their boxers, before Paula finally called them for breakfast. They pulled away and grinned at each other.

"C'mon, it's time to eat!" Sam said, letting go of Lars. He was about to walk out the door when the taller boy grabbed his arm.

"You're not gonna go out in just your boxers, are ya?"

"Huh?" The blond looked down and blinked. Blushing, he looked up and chuckled bashfully. "Oops! I guess I kinda forgot that…"

"Pfffft! Hahahahahaha!.!.!" Lars held his sides as he laughed at him. Sam glowered and put his hands on his hips.

"And just _what_ is so funny?"

"_That!_ Hahahahaha!.!.!" He pointed at Sam, who looked away and slapped his forehead. That was when the blond remembered something. Grinning, he grabbed Lars' clothes off the floor and tossed them at him, hitting him in the face.

"Hurry up and get dressed!" He said, messily throwing his own clothes on.

"Ok… But you didn't have to throw 'em like that…" Lars commented after getting his shirt on.

"Hurry! Hurry! Hurry!" Sam shouted after getting his shorts on. The brunet blinked weirdly as he pulled up his own shorts.

"What's the deal, Sammy? You're all hyper and stuff."

"We gotta hurry up and tell Mom the good news!" Sam exclaimed zippering and buttoning up Lars' shorts for him. "She'll be thrilled when she finds out that we're officially a couple!" He grabbed the other boy's hand and pulled. "Let's go!"

"Hey!" Lars blinked, resisting. "Whaddya mean tell!.?.!"

"Oh don't worry. She knows all about my feelings for you. It'll be fine. Besides, I'm sure you wanna tell your family too!"

"Sammy wait." The brunet pulled firmly, stopping Sam. The blond turned to him with a confused look as he looked away. "Ya see, only very few people know about me. Just my family, your mom, the dorks, my old crew, and you know about my preference. Nobody else knows and I want to keep it that way."

The shorter boy frowned. "But we—"

"Please Sam?" Lars pleaded. "It's ok if your mom and everybody else in the cul-de-sac know, but please don't make me go public about our relationship. I love you, but my reputation can't go down anymore than it already has. Please?"

Sam felt a strange pang in his heart after hearing his lover's request. Lars wanted to keep their relationship secret to the world. But he was hoping to be able to shout the news from Ocean Shores' highest rooftop. He remembered how Otto and Twister announced their relationship the very same night they got together. They took an old bullhorn Ray owned and climbed to the top of the TV station at midnight when everyone in town was sure to be asleep. They then yelled at the top of their lungs, "Otto Rocket and Twister Rodriguez are gay and madly in love!.!.!"

They yelled that at least ten times before they were finally caught by the station's security guards. They were in the newspaper and the news the very next day. And when they walked around town, holding hands, everyone was in complete and utter shock. They were also chased by girls and strangely the Lopez Brothers too… From that day forward, Sam sorely wanted to do that with Lars. He wanted to announce their love and turn everybody's heads. But now that the brunet wanted to keep the whole thing a secret, would he ever get the chance to do that?

Finally sighing, Sam nodded. "Ok Lars. We'll keep it a secret from everyone in town until we're ready to let the world know."

"Yeah… Thanks a lot Sammy." The brunet said graciously. He planted a kiss on the blond's lips and pulled him over to the kitchen for breakfast.

And so, the new couple told their friends and family about their relationship. Paula was of course happy for the couple and congratulated them with a big breakfast. Sandy and Raoul were too busy cleaning up after last night to do anything special, but they gave the pair their blessing nonetheless. Otto and Twister snickered and whispered to each other excitedly before telling them they should all have a double date ending with something _special_. Eyes widening, Sam and Lars immediately ran out of the house. Reggie simply exclaimed that it was about time and hugged Sam in happiness. Naturally, Lars felt jealous at that, but didn't say anything. They _were_ friends after all. The other adults also expressed their acceptance, though they never thought that Sam would actually be able to get with Lars. Of course, they never mentioned this to them.

But Sam wasn't nearly as happy as he thought he'd be.


	12. Epilogue

Two Extra Eyes

Epilogue

Restoring Happiness

The next day, Otto and Twister decided that since there was no way Sam and Lars would want to be separated, the brunet should tag along with them. Actually, their _real_ reason was so that they could keep their hands off each other for longer than five minutes. Needless to say, Lars cursed them both out while Sam's face turned beet red. The redheads simply rolled with laughter while Reggie simply rolled her eyes. She yelled at them to come on and sped off to town on her bike. The others followed suit.

In town, they stopped at the first supermarket they could find and walked inside (after securing their bikes of course). Reggie led them through the place as she picked out bread, cold cuts, drinks, and assorted snacks. The whole time, Otto and Twister were playing around on their shopping cart. They were trying to pull off extreme tricks while racing down the aisles. They nearly avoided crashing a few times during their trip. They actually managed to pull off a sweet ollie before Reggie yanked them out of the cart and chewed them out big time for their stupidity. As soon as she turned her back however, they were flirting as usual. Sam watched them dismally as he and Lars walked alongside the girl.

Once they finished shopping and placed everything into small paper bags for each of them to carry in their backpacks, the quintet rode off to the forest. Once they arrived, they spent a good few hours riding around the many dirt paths. They weaved around rocks, low branches, logs, and even some of the animals living nearby. Most of the time, they were able to get big air by rolling off makeshift ramps created by the features of the woods. While in the air, Otto, Twister, and Reggie were able to perform a multitude of tricks; bar spins, seat grabs, and even a couple of flips, all before landing. Sam and Lars, who was still getting used to riding with his glasses on, did simple kickouts and bar spins whenever they were able to get airborne.

They were soon spent of their energy so they rode to a clearing on the outskirts of town. Once they found a good spot to settle, Reggie laid down a large blanket. The boys weighed it down with their shoes. They then sat down and proceeded to eat their lunch. During the meal, Otto and Twister were feeding each other their sandwiches and chips. They were also cuddling up close to each other. Once the main course was over, the one in the sunglasses got the cameraman to lay his head on his lap so that he could feed him grapes. The blond watched them jealously. He wanted the brunet to do that for him so badly. But unfortunately, while they were in the outskirts of town, they were also in the park, so many families were around. He turned to Lars, who was looking at the other boys with envy. It was clear he wanted to do the same thing as well. The couple sighed and went back to eating their food.

The next day, the town got a break from the heat wave they've been suffering, so the Rocket crew decided to enjoy the decent weather by roller blading all over town. They raced down some hills and did tricks on the many benches, rails, wooden planks, etc that were littered about. They grinded, spun through the air, and even skated along the walls occasionally. Lars felt a whole lot more confident on his blades, so he managed to keep up with Otto and Twister. He even challenged his rival to imitate his best moves, which the redhead was able to do flawlessly.

During the ride, Sam sometimes wiped out while trying to do a trick. Whenever that happened, the brunet immediately came to his aide and helped him up. He would dust the boy off and check for any injuries. It was almost like he was a mother concerned about the safety and well being of her child. Of course, Otto would tease them, but the couple could care less. All that matter to Lars was that the blond was safe while Sam was grinning too much to care. The boy showing concern for him in public almost made him forget about yesterday.

At the end of the day, everyone stopped at the pizzeria to regain their strength for the trip home. Once they made their orders, they sat outside in one of the round tables they had there. Like yesterday, Otto and Twister were being chummy. They were whispering in each other's ears and laughing every so often. They were also holding each other close. Occasionally, they stole a kiss or two. Things got even worse when the pizza arrived. The redheads fed each other their slices and even played kissing games with the cheese. They even reenacted a scene from a certain movie when they took the crust from their pizzas and ate both sides until their lips met. They were giggling the whole time.

Sam gave them a depressed stare. They weren't afraid to show their love for each other in public, so why was Lars? What could anybody possibly do to him if they caught him and the blond kissing? He could just bash them all the way to next week if he so chose. So why all the secrecy? Why not come out and show his boyfriend the affection he deserved? He would've gladly returned the brunet's feelings. Instead, he was eating his pizza. Sam sighed and sipped his soda.

Lars glanced his way and looked downward. He knew what was bothering his lover. He wanted him to treat him the same way the redheads treated each other, or at the very least, acknowledged his presence. His eyes grew watery at this. He sorely wanted to grant the other boy's wish, but he just couldn't. Losing his crew at the expense of his glasses was one thing, but losing the fear he instilled in the citizens of Ocean Shores because of who he chose to love was quite another. He couldn't deal with the ridicule. Then he thought back to the day he confessed to Sam. If the Lopez Brothers didn't recognize him, what were the chances anybody else in town would? Then again, the siblings were crazy.

Shrugging, he decided he had to do _something_ to show he cared for Sam. So he reached under the table, took the blond's hand in his, and squeezed. Surprised, Sam turned to him. Lars smiled warmly and mouthed, "I love you." Blushing and turning away, the younger boy looked up and mouthed back, "I love you too." Noticing the scene, Otto and Twisted gagged at them. This caused Reggie to elbow her brother, who was sitting next to her. She then glared at him and told him to knock it off. She then fixed the other couple with a look of pity. She hoped that they would work things out soon.

On the third day, it was sweltering again, so the quintet decided to take shelter in the Ortega theater. They decided to watch a double feature consisting of _Charlie and the Chocolate Factory_ and _March of the Penguins_. After buying the snacks, they were sitting in one of the screening rooms (in the middle row, mind you). The chilly air conditioning cooled them off considerably, and the fact that both movies were taking place in snowy/icy places only cooled them further.

Since they were in a dark area, Lars decided to take advantage by putting his arm around Sam. The blond grinned toothily at the act. At long last, the older teen was showing him affection. Sam happily leaned into the other boy and laid his arm on his chest while keeping his eyes on the screen. While the movie was playing, Lars shared his popcorn and soda with him. The shorter boy gladly accepted the treats. He sighed in bliss. This was what he truly wanted.

Things were going great for the couple. That is, until the second movie started. Almost all through the documentary, Otto and Twister, who were sitting next to Lars, were vigorously making out. The smacking of their lips and the light moans they made echoed all over the room. The other people nearby turned to them and shushed them. As soon as they turned, Lars, blushing madly in embarrassment, pushed Sam away. The blond gaped at him in utter disbelief before spending the rest of the movie sulking. Reggie looked at the two and slapped her head. She was going have to do something to fix this.

On the fourth day, the temperature dropped again, so it was again possible to go out and have fun. It's been well past a week since Lars was banned from Mad Town, so the quintet agreed to meet there. Sam arrived at the pier first. He was looking downtrodden as he rolled towards the park entrance on his skateboard. When he got down the ramp, he sat on the ground near the beach and sighed sadly. It was clear he was thinking about everything that happened between him and Lars. He sniffled as tears came to his eyes. He desperately wanted his boyfriend to pay attention to him and feed him food, whisper sweet nothings in his ear, and kiss him in public without caring what those around them would say. But alas, the brunet was too afraid to show his affection for the boy. Tears finally fell onto the sand as he sniffled in pain.

Soon, Reggie arrived, also on her board. As soon as she got to the skate park's entrance, she noticed Sam crying. Gasping, she hopped off her board and ran over to him. She then kneeled beside him.

"Sammy, what's wrong?.?.?" She asked, placing an arm on his shoulder. Sam took one look at her and hugged her tightly, causing the tears to come full blast.

"I-I-I can't do this anymore!" He cried. "I don't want to keep this a secret!"

Reggie frowned deeply. "C'mon Sammy. It'll be ok…"

"No, it won't! I want to be able to show my love for Lars no matter where I am! But he can't even show me the tiniest bit of affection!"

The blond cried into her shoulder. Reggie consoled him and tried to think of a solution to this problem. There had to be _something_ she could do. But what? Her eyes soon brightened as an idea popped into her mind. The only to get Lars to show his love for Sam would be for the blond to be in danger! But how was she going to accomplish that? She smiled as a certain name came to her. She just had to find the teen first. She held Sam in arm's length.

"Don't worry Sammy, I'll take care of everything!"

Sam rubbed his puffy eyes. "Y-y-you will…? How?"

"Just stay right here. I'm going to…have a little chat with Lars." She quickly lied as she stood up. "Be right back!" She grabbed her board and ran up the ramp. Sam sniffled as he watched her movements. When she was out of sight, he stared out at the ocean, hoping that the brunet will come to his senses.

Meanwhile, Reggie looked around herself for even the slimmest glimpse of the only person she knew that wouldn't hesitate to put her best friend in a life threatening situation. She couldn't find him however. She was about to leave and actually try to talk to Lars when she heard a loud, crazed laughter. She snapped her head towards the Shack and ran inside. There, she saw the Lopez Brothers enjoying a relatively peaceful lunch. Little Iggy was making childish jokes and laughing up a storm while Izzy, who was mildly bored and looked like he was going to strangle the boy, watched and sipped his soda. Their skating gear was sitting nearby. Reggie sighed with relief. She didn't think it'd be so easy to find them. She walked over to the brunets' table. Iggy was about to tell another joke when the girl arrived. Both boys stopped and turned to her.

"Reggie-Poo! Hi!.!.!" The younger of the two exclaimed. He leapt from his seat and hugged her tightly.

"Hey Iggy. Long time no see." Reggie smiled at him, causing him to blush furiously.

"Y-y-yeah… I-I-It's been a l-l-long time…" He stuttered.

Slapping his forehead in embarrassment, Izzy reached over, grabbed the back of his brother's shirt collar, and yanked him off the girl. He slammed the boy into his seat before returning to his own.

"So, to what do we owe this unexpected visit?" He asked politely.

"I have a big favor to ask you." Reggie replied. Izzy raised an eyebrow in curiosity.

"A favor?"

"A _big_ favor." Iggy pointed out. His brother glared at him before facing Reggie again.

"What is it?" He asked in an interested tone. What could the girl possibly want from him? The female took a deep breath as she prepared to answer.

"I need you to challenge Sam to something!"

Both brothers gave her a weirded out look. They both gaped at her in disbelief. She actually _wanted_ the evil brunet to challenge the bespectacled blond? Izzy cleared his throat.

"I'm sorry; I don't think I heard you right. What'd you just say?"

"I need you to challenge Sam." Reggie repeated.

"Yeah, that's what I thought. Any particular reason you want me to challenge Blondie?"

"Erm…" The girl tried to think of something. "Well, he's been really bored lately and I think the best way to get him excited again is for you and him to face off?" She chuckled nervously. Izzy gave her a hard look.

"I don't believe you." He said, looking away.

Reggie gulped. If he won't challenge Sam, Lars won't come and rescue the blond and her plan would be ruined. She was about to say something when the elder Lopez turned to her with a mischievous smirk.

"However, regardless of whatever reason you came to me, I will go to that fool." Reggie grinned at this. "_But_, I'm not going to challenge him, oh no. I'm going to get revenge for what he did to me. Him _and_ that four eyed idiot in the gray hat."

The Rocket gave him a strange look. Iggy sighed boredly and turned to her.

"Sammy-Sam got him all dirty the other day and that other guy beat him up when he tried to hurt Sammy-Sam."

She turned to him with that same look on her face. They didn't know Lars was the one defending Sam?

"Hmph!" Izzy got up and grabbed his gear. He shoved his purple helmet over his hat and buckled it. "Let's go, Iggy! I'm gonna teach them a lesson they won't soon forget." He stomped out of the restaurant as Iggy turned to Reggie.

"Could you do _me_ a favor, Reggie-Poo?" He asked, jumping out of his chair.

"Sure. What?" She asked, looking down at him.

"Call an ambulance."

As he picked up his gear and followed his brother, Reggie sighed and shook her head.

'_Well, phase one complete. I just hope Lars gets down here before Izzy does something to Sammy._'

Meanwhile, Sam had long since calmed down since his little outburst. Sighing, he wiped his eyes and stood up. He was about to go into Mad Town when…

"Hold it right there!"

"Huh…?" Sam looked towards the top of the ramp and groaned when he saw his rival standing there.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

Lars sighed. He's been depressed all day. He saw how upset Sam got at the movies yesterday. He never wanted to hurt Sam in anyway, but it seemed that he did. The moment he pushed him away, he felt an emptiness in his heart. He was sure Sam felt it too. It was almost like he betrayed the blond in that moment. He looked at the floor in agony. He truly wanted to make his relationship with Sam public. He wanted the whole world to know that the younger boy was taken and he wasn't going to give him up for anything.

But what could he possibly do? If he revealed their relationship in public, the whole town would hate and despise them. He may be more than capable of beating someone to a bloody pulp if they so much as looked at him the wrong way, but after facing such disrespect because of his glasses, how would the world take him being gay? He truly didn't want to know. And that was where the problem lied. Sam was bummed because he wasn't able to brag about their relationship and Lars couldn't because of the ridicule he'd face.

He sighed miserably as he sat there on the edge of his bed.

"C'mon Twist! We're late!" Otto shouted, haphazardly putting on his shorts as he ran past the brunet's open door.

"I'm coming, I'm coming!" Twister yelled back, putting on his shirts in the same matter. He passed Lars' door when he stopped and looked inside. "Come on Lars, we're ready to go."

"Huh?" Lars looked up with clouded eyes. "Oh right…" The redhead blinked and gave him a look of concern.

"Are you ok, man?"

The older brother looked down again. "Not really…"

Twister walked inside and sat next to him. "Is it because of Squid?" He took Lars' silence for a yes. "What's the big deal? Why can't you just be public about your relationship?"

The brunet clenched a fist. "You know damn well why." He growled out.

"Dude, people would be crazy to mess with you! Ya know that, right?"

Lars nodded. "But…"

"The glasses?" Twister guessed. The other boy nodded. "C'mon. They're no big deal."

The brunet looked at him disbelievingly.

"Ok, maybe they _are_ a big deal. But they don't mean anything. You're Lars! You can beat up guys twice your size with no trouble at all! Nobody's gonna mess with ya because you're gay and definitely not because of your glasses!"

Lars still looked unconvinced. Twister sighed as the hallway phone rang. Otto answered it a few seconds later.

"Look, you know how me and Ottoman went to the top of the TV station and announced our relationship last year?"

Lars nodded. "Yeah, and the next day, nothing happened."

"Well, not really. All those girls and those crazy brothers spent the next day chasing us and some people were giving us dirty looks, but that didn't mean anything to me and Otto. I ain't gonna lie to you. Some people _are_ gonna be pissy about it, but so what? You don't have to pay attention to what they got to say! Otto and I never did and we turned out fine!"

"Yeah, but that's because you're both a bunch of—"

For the first time ever, Lars was cut off by his brother's glare.

"You gotta ask yourself what's more important, Sam or what people are gonna say to you."

Lars blinked and glared at him. "What kinda stupid question is _that_!.?.! I _know_ what's more important to me!"

Now it was Twister's turn to look unconvinced. "Yeah? And what's that?"

"Sammy!.!.!" Lars roared, standing up. "And none of those bastards are gonna do anything about it! I'm gonna be with my man for the rest of my life and if anybody's got something to say, I'll whomp them so bad, their own mothers are gonna feel it!"

The redhead smiled as he too stood up. "Good. Now let's go to Mad Town and when you see Sammy, give him a kiss right there on the spot, got it?"

The brunet returned the smile. "Yeah, I got it. And thanks. I needed that." He embraced his brother with gratitude.

"Yeah. No prob." Twister returned the hug.

"Yo!" Otto ran into the room urgently. "We gotta get down to the pier pronto!" The brothers turned to him.

"Huh?" Lars asked with an eyebrow raised.

"What's the emergency?" Twister added.

"That Izzy kook's gonna whomp the Squid if we don't hurry up!"

"WHAT!.?.!" The brunet bellowed. He grabbed his gear and ran out of there like a bolt of lightning. The others looked at each other and followed.

Back at the pier…

"This time you'll pay, Blondie!" Izzy shouted, walking down the ramp, followed by Iggy. The people nearby ran inside Mad Town for safety but Sam stood his ground.

"This isn't a good time, Izzy!" He returned.

"Ha! Now's the perfect time, Blondie!" The dark haired boy roared as he and his brother reached the bottom. "I'm going to get my vengeance for everything you've done to me over the years. And _this_ time, you don't have your stupid bodyguard to protect you!"

"I'm serious!" The light haired teen clenched his fists. "I'm not feeling up to one of your games!"

Izzy put up his own fists as he dropped his board. "Oh this is no game. I'm _through_ playing games with you! I just want one thing from you!"

Sam glowered at him. "And what's that?"

"Revenge! Once I get my revenge on you and that four eyed fool, I'll be back in my happy zone!"

"Again, you have a happy zone?" Iggy remarked, generating some snickers from the crowd. Izzy turned to him with a cold glare.

"NOT NOW, IGGY!.!.!" He roared, turning back to the blond.

"This time I'm gonna destroy you, Blondie! So you might as well take it like the sniveling coward you are and cry like a little baby!"

"Who are _you_ calling a sniveling coward, you jerk!.?" Sam shot back. Izzy's eyes widened in disbelief before glowering again.

"How dare you, ya shrimp!"

"Weasel!"

"Dork!"

"Geek!"

"Nerd!"

"Idiot!"

"Numbskull!"

This went on for a good ten minutes before Lars arrived on the scene, Otto and Twister straggling behind. By the time he reached the ramp, the adversaries were panting and struggling to come up with a stinging insult.

"°Huff° Shoobie…" Sam breathed.

"°Puff° Kook…" Izzy hissed. He then blinked and stomped the ground. "What the hell am I doing!.?.!"

"Getting distracted again, if I didn't know better." Iggy answered. He was lounging in one of the chairs found near the rental shop while sipping a milkshake Tito brought him.

"And you don't, ya twerp!" The older brother shouted, turning to Sam again. "That does it! You're history!"

With that, he charged head on towards the blond, who prepared himself for battle by getting into a defensive pose. Lars gasped as the evil boy drew closer and closer.

"**STOP!.!.!**" He roared. Izzy skidded to a stop just mere inches from Sam.

"Huh?" The blond asked, looked up.

"Oh what now?" The dark brunet grumbled, looking up as well.

Lars ran down the ramp and stood between his love and Izzy. The brunet in the white helmet stared down the one in the purple helmet. Staring back just as hard, the elder Lopez backed away a couple of feet.

"I won't let you hurt him." Lars simply said.

"Lars, you came…" Sam said with relief. Lars turned to him with a smile.

"Of course I did, Sammy. I'd never let you get hurt, especially not by someone like _him_."

The blond smiled gratefully at him. "Thank you Lars…"

"Oh for the love of—" Izzy shouted, drawing back a fist. "Yah!.!.!"

°POW!.!.!°

The crowd, Iggy, and Sam gasped in complete horror as Izzy's fist collided with Lars' left cheek, knocking his glasses far from him. They landed right by the movie theater's entrance. The brunet in the vest snickered evilly as he withdrew his fist.

"That's what you get for interfering. Now step aside unless you wanna taste any more of my wrath!"

That was when the older boy faced him with a look of pure unadulterated rage. It was a lot more fearsome than any kind of expression Izzy could manage. Lars' eyes were blood red and transfixed in a glare colder than a glacier. His frown was so deep, it was simply inhuman. Izzy and Iggy felt their very skin go white at the presence of the former bully.

"L-L-L-**LARS**!.?.!" The former exclaimed in shock.

"Y-Y-Y-You just p-p-p-punched _LARS_!.!.!" The latter screamed, hiding behind his seat.

Izzy shuddered in total fright. He just made the absolute _worst_ mistake of his life! Nobody, but _nobody_ strikes Lars and lives to tell the tale! _Everybody_ in Ocean Shores knew that! Babies knew this from the very first day they were born! It was practically a law punishable by death, and he just broke it!.!.!

'_I'm dead…_' The frightened boy thought. '_He's gonna kill me…_' He was about to beg for mercy when he noticed one important detail.

Lars wasn't facing him! He was facing Mad Town's entrance, trying to find the teen. Blinking, Izzy looked at the spectacles lying near the theater. He put two and two together and smirked evilly.

'_He can't see without those glasses… This is perfect._'

"_Now_ I know why you looked familiar." He said, walking around the disabled boy. "You're really _Lars_!.!.!"

He punched the former bully hard in the right cheek. He jumped away when Lars went for a couple of swings. Izzy snickered and continued his gloating.

"So you lost your eyesight." He whispered in the older boy's left ear. He ducked when Lars tried to punch him. He immediately retaliated with a sweep kick, tripping the teen. Lars quickly got up and tried to find Izzy, but he was already moving around again, chuckling teasingly.

"How does it feel to be defenseless?" He asked before moving closer. "To know that you can't even fight back, just like your _victims_!"

He kicked the taller brunet in the stomach, causing all the air to be knocked out of him. Lars kneeled, clutching his stomach in pain.

"When I find you Lopez, you'll…"

"I'll what? You can't even see two feet in front of your face!" Izzy retorted. He was standing a couple of feet to the other's right. "You're no longer in any position to threaten _me_!"

He ran up to him and sucker punched him right where he struck him before. Lars held his bleeding cheek and glowered all around, trying to catch the teen.

"Izzy! Stop this!" Sam tried. "It's me you want!"

"Wrong Blondie!" Izzy barked. "I want _both_ of you! But don't worry. Once I'm through with this meddler, I'm coming right for you!" He turned to Lars again and prepared to attack again. Sam glared at his rival and clenched a fist.

"Not if I come for you first!" He shouted.

He ran forward with his fist held back. Izzy was about to kick Lars again when he looked up and noticed the blond coming towards him at top speed! Before he could do anything to defend himself, Sam rammed into him, throwing him back a few feet. The crowd gasped as Izzy bounced on his back before skidding against the pavement.

"They don't call me 'the Mid-West Express' for nothing!" Sam declared to his rival. Izzy staggered to his feet and looked at him in disbelief, as did Iggy.

"He actually hit big brother…" The little boy whispered.

"I can't believe you actually hit _me_…" Izzy shuddered in anger. "You actually hit _me_!.!.!" Sam didn't pay any attention though as he helped Lars up.

"Lars, are you alright…?" He asked. The brunet looked up and turned to him.

"Ugh… Yeah… I—"

It was at that moment that something most unexpected happened. The blurry image in front of him suddenly came back into focus. He saw his boyfriend's face clear and sharply. He reached up and felt his love's features. He felt the blond's smooth and warm skin. He was actually able to see. But how? He wasn't wearing his glasses at all! Unless…

"I-I-I can see again…" He whispered. Sam blinked at him.

"Lars…?" He asked, slowly smiling. "What'd you just say…?"

The brunet grinned. "Sammy! I can see! I can really see again! Nothing's blurry at all!.!.! Everything's coming in clear!.!.!"

"NO WAY!.!.! LARS, THAT'S FANTASTIC!.!.!"

"Damn straight! Now give me a hug, babe!.!.!"

They both embraced each other tightly. They both cried into each other's shoulders in pure jubilation. Lars finally recovered his eyesight!.!.!

A few feet away, Izzy watched the scene in a mixture of horror, disbelief, and resignation. He slowly turned to his brother.

"Iggy… Did I just hear what I _thought_ I heard…?"

"Y-y-yeah… Lars can see…"

"Crap…" Izzy gulped. "I'm so dead…"

That was when his brain asked an important question. Fight or Flight? His response: **FLIGHT!.!.!** He turned to run when…

"FREEZE!.!.!"

Sweating in fear, the brunet turned and faced Sam and Lars, who delivered that order. They both glared hard and gave him a "come here" gesture with their hands. Sweat fell down his face in sheets as he held up his hands.

"N-n-now boys, we don't have to complicate things any further do we…?" He chuckled nervously. "We don't have to get all messy, right…?"

"Oh on the contrary, we don't mind getting messy, do we Lars?" Sam addressed his boyfriend with a smirk.

"Nope, not at all, Sammy." Lars answered, cracking his knuckles. "In fact, I just _love_ getting messy."

"Heh, heh, heh… Well, ya see, that's the thing…" Izzy started. "I _DON'T_!.!.! RUN FOR IT IGGY!.!.!"

He turned and tried to run, but to his grave misfortune, Otto, Twister, Reggie, Ray, Noelani, and Tito were blocking his only way of escape. Their arms were crossed and they fixed him with a stern glower.

"_Why!.?.!_" He panicked.

"You started this." Reggie started.

"So finish it!" Otto added.

"YEAH!.!.!" The crowd roared.

Izzy frightfully turned towards the duo, which looked ready to tear him limb from limb. The boy shook in utter fear when something snapped inside him. It felt like he just got a sudden surge of adrenaline. He glowered at them and clenched his fists.

'_It can't be **that** hard to take 'em on._' He told himself. '_All I gotta do is strike hard and fast. Yeah! They'll never know what hit 'em. Here goes nothing!.!.!_'

"Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!.!.!" He screamed, dashing head on towards them. He increased his speed as he got closer and closer to the boys. They stood ready to defend themselves against his attack.

The feet closed in until the brunet rammed right into Lars and pushed him back a couple of feet…only to be pushed back by a rapid succession of punches! Izzy screamed in pain as the older teen's fists pounded into every open area of his body. Lars was totally relentless in his attack. He kept punishing the dark haired boy long after he stopped screaming from lost of breath. He finally stopped after a good five minutes of straight punching. Amazingly, the elder Lopez Brother was still standing. He was wobbling weakly, desperately trying to get air into his battered lungs.

However, Lars wasn't done yet.

He drew both fists back and charged forward. Before the weakened teen could do anything, the former bully pounded both fists right into his eye sockets, drawing blood as well as throwing him backwards. Izzy's butt bounced off the pavement followed by his head before finally landing face first on the street. He groaned in agony as he struggled to raise his head. He attempted to glare at them, but not only was everything red from the blood, his sight was getting blurry too.

"C-c-curse you…" He hissed before finally collapsing.

"Izzy!" Iggy shouted, running over to him. He knelt down and shook him to wake him up, but he never moved. Paramedics that arrived only moments earlier picked up the unconscious boy, put him in a stretcher, and wheeled him into an ambulance. Iggy climbed inside and sat by his brother before it drove off.

"And don't ever mess with my boyfriend again!.!.!" Lars yelled after the vehicle. Sam gasped in surprise.

"L-L-Lars…? Y-y-you just…"

"Yeah, I know." He said, turning to the blond. "Please forgive me Sammy. I was a complete idiot. I shoulda thought about your feelings before I opened my big mouth. I—"

He was cut off when Sam put a hand over his lips.

"Just shut up and kiss me."

He removed his hand and claimed Lars' lips. They embraced and deepened the kiss as the crowd roared. A good couple of minutes passed before they broke away for air. They grinned at each other.

"Sammy, I wanna let everybody know we love each other."

"Yeah?"

Lars nodded. "Truly and deeply."

"Great." Sam gave him a look of concern. "But we better get your wounds bandaged up…"

"You kidding me!.?.! To hell with my cuts! We gotta plan how we're gonna get up on the TV station's roof tonight!" The brunet took his hand. "Let's go!.!.!"

"Woah!.!.!"

With that, the happy couple ran up to the Shack to plan with Otto and Twister.

**THE END**

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Post Story Conversation

The scene opened in the studio. The crowd was cheering and clapping as I stood in the middle of the stage, shaking in happiness.

"Yes! Yes!.!.! YES!.!.!" I cheered, jumping around for joy. "The story's finally completed! I feel so happy, I could just dance!.!.! In fact…" I faced offstage. "Music, please!"

The lights dimmed as a huge disco ball lowered itself from the ceiling. The classic song, "Staying Alive" started to play, but quickly stopped as screaming was heard outside.

"No! You can't!.!.!" Iggy's voice was heard.

"Iggy!.!.!" Izzy's voice roared. "If you don't let me see them, I'm gonna—"

"NO!.!.! YOU CAN'T SEE THEM!.!.!" The younger brother panicked.

"What in the world is going on?" I said, turning towards the stage doors. They were soon kicked open by an extremely ticked off Izzy and a frightened to death Iggy. The crowd and I gasped at the sight of the elder Lopez Brother. He was wearing… Wearing…

"BOSS!.!.!"

"You bellowed?" I said, smirking at him.

"Yeah!" He shouted, picking up Iggy by the collar. "_This_ idiot won't let me see the glasses I was forced to wear after that idiot Lars punched out my eyes!.!.!"

"So whaddya want _me_ to do?"

Izzy tossed Iggy behind him. The poor boy screamed as he careened through the air until he crashed into the band. I cringed at the mess caused by the collision.

"Eeesh… It ain't gonna be easy to replace those instruments…"

"Ahem!" The evil one cleared his throat. I turned to him.

"So what am _I_ supposed to do?"

Izzy crossed his arms. "Well for starters, I'd like a mirror so that I can see what I'm wearing on my face. I mean Iggy made me choose these, but I don't even know what they look like!"

I shrugged. "As you wish. One mirror coming right up."

"WHAT!.?.!" Iggy gasped, looking up from the jumble of bodies and musical equipment. "NO DADDY!.!.! DON'T DO IT!.!.!"

Too late. I snapped my fingers, causing a life sized vanity mirror to appear in front of Izzy.

"Thank you. Now let's see—" He gasped in horror. He gaped in pure disbelief as he pointed at his reflection with wide eyes. He couldn't believe what he was wearing. He was looking at his worst nightmare!

He was wearing Sam's GLASSES!.!.!

"I-I-I… Oooooooooohhhhhhhhh!.!.!" Izzy glared at his reflection as he pulled out his mallet. He then proceeded to bash the mirror to a million pieces, sending shards of glass everywhere. When he was done, he was trembling rapidly and breathing hard, trying his hardest to calm down. Unfortunately, when you've known nothing but rage and anger all your existence, calm is the last thing you can be, especially when confronted with something like _this_.

"Tsk, tsk… What a shame." I said, shaking my head. "That's seven and a half years bad luck."

Izzy immediately stopped shuddering and turned towards me, raising his mallet.

"Hey, _you're_ the one who wanted to see." I pointed out. "Ya shoulda heeded Iggy's warning."

"Oh no ya don't!" He roared. "You're gonna get it this time Boss! And nothing's gonna save you!.!.!"

"Uh-huh." I said, blowing my hand and rubbing it against my shirt. "I'm so sure."

"Why you little—!.!.!" He released all of his energy into his mallet and made to strike my head. Luckily, I was faster. I pulled out my own mallet and two battlechips.

"Life Aura and Heat Shot battlechips in! Double download!"

As soon as I inserted the chips, a purple barrier surrounded me just in time to block Izzy's attack. The force of his swing caused him to shake uncontrollably, leaving me plenty of time to aim my mallet, which transformed into a gun of sorts. Before my partner can recover, I shot a heavy stream of fire at him. He screamed in pain as he was engulfed in the flames. A few seconds passed before his body was replaced by the words "Log out."

"_Izzy logging out._" A male voice announced as Izzy disappeared.

"Whew… That was a close one…" Iggy sighed as he climbed out of the instruments and made his way towards me.

"Yep. Hopefully some time in the hospital will cool his heels." I said with a nod. We then turned to the camera. "Well, we're done here, folks! I'm Prince Izzy!"

"And I'm Iggy!"

"See ya next time!.!.!" We shouted, waving at the camera as the credits rolled.


End file.
